Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD
by Swordsoul2000
Summary: what if Seifer turned Ultimecia down in the Broadcast station? What if Squall became her knight instead? Would Seifer be able to lead Garden to victory? AU, rated for Seifer's mouth, eventual SxS
1. Chapter 1

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

What if Seifer turned Ultimecia down in the broadcast station? What if Squall became her Knight instead? Would Seifer be able to lead Garden to victory? AU, rated M for Seifer's mouth.

I do not and never will own Final Fantasy VIII

//\\

"I don't care what you call me. I am not going with you!!" Squall could hear Seifer's voice echo through the broadcast station corridor. When he finally could see what was going on, he halted in surprise.

Seifer had let President Deling go, and instead held his gunblade in a threatening manner on some strange woman, someone who Squall had the strangest feeling he'd met somewhere, but had no idea of where the faint feeling of familiarity came from. The feeling was even stronger than when he'd seen the strange girl in the training room with Quistis. It was important that he knew who the woman was; he knew it. Who was she…?

Seifer caught sight of him. "Back off, Leonhart," the failed SeeD called out. "This lady is real bad news. I'll handle this."

"Like you handled the exam? Don't make me laugh." was the automatic retort. He was Squad Leader of the team assigned to Timber; the course of action was his to decide. Plus, after so many years of sparing with Seifer, verbally and otherwise, actually listening to him was next to impossible. From what he could see, the woman Seifer was holding at the point of his gunblade was utterly relaxed, as if she wasn't being threatened by someone who had vary nearly passed the SeeD exam, though the reason he'd failed was definitely not for lack of skill.

She laughed, a lovely and carefree sound, light as tinkling water. For a moment, Squall thought he heard the sound of waves, ocean waves, pounding on the shore. Abruptly, he shook his head, dislodging the sensation. Focus, you are a SeeD on mission; a screw up now could cost lives.

Like Zell's mistake likely already had. Deling now knew that they were from Garden, thanks to a truly amateurish mistake from the tattooed blond. How on earth had the martial artist passed the psych prerequisites for the exams while still being capable of making that kind of mistake? Garden could expect retaliation for this. It was his job to be sure the mission didn't get any more fucked up than it already was.

Drawing his own gunblade, he motioned Seifer to back off. The blond frowned, but stepped back a few paces, obviously recognizing that this wasn't the time or place for a disagreement. Turning to the strange woman, he asked bluntly, "Who are you."

She laughed again. "You know me, Squall. I've been looking for you for years."

What? Who was this person, why did she claim to know him, and did she say she had been looking for him? Forcibly, he repeated his words, trying to keep the conversation on grounds he understood. "Who are you? What do you want?"

She ignored his words. Moving closer, she disregarded the threat of his naked gunblade and ran gentle fingers over the new scar that Seifer had given him. "Poor Squall. Trying so hard to be grown up. Trying to put your heart on ice, so that it doesn't hurt so much when they leave you. Am I right?"

Who was this woman? How did she know his secret fear, the reason why he avoided everyone back at Garden? If he wasn't close to anyone, it wouldn't hurt so much when they left. And they would. They all left. Everyone did. Who? He couldn't remember…

"You're wondering who I am? Don't worry about that now. Come with me, and I'll make everything clear." Why couldn't he concentrate? Could she read his thoughts?

"Hey, Puberty-Boy! Snap out of it!!" distantly he heard Seifer shout, but it didn't matter. Nothing did, except that voice, slipping through all the chinks in his armor, settling around his soul.

"I don't need you around anymore." There was a harsh edge to the seductive Voice, but surely he was mistaken. A heavy thud followed by a cry of pain sounded, but it was beyond his notice. "Come Squall, come to me and you will never be alone again. I alone will never leave you, I promise."

Not hearing the protests voiced by his rival, instructor, and teammates, Squall followed his Sorceress away.

//\\

Eyes watering with pain, Seifer watched his rival leave. Holy Hyne, what had that bitch hit him with anyway? He'd had harder hits from Puberty Boy and shaken them off with ease. But one intangible touch from some mind-raping bitch and he was frozen. Not literally, as he wasn't physically pinned down by ice.

He cast his mind back to when he'd first encountered the bitch. After Chicken-wuss made the worst possible mistake in the handbook, he'd been backing out of the broadcast studio with his hostage when he'd felt something touch his mind with the subtlety of frost. Given that he preferred Ifrit to Shiva, the cooling touch was more than enough to get his attention.

Instantly, his priorities had shifted from the hostage, to the bitch screaming THREAT all over her prissy clothes and hair. Then she started calling him a boy, saying that to shed his childhood he needed to come with her. NO ONE called him a boy. Not even Leonhart. Hyperion had still been unsheathed, and he used it to try to get her to back off. No matter what she called him, no matter whatever it was she was offering, he wasn't interested.

He'd hoped that she'd back off when he told her "no" since she didn't seem to be intimidated by Hyperion, but Leonhart had chosen that moment to barge into the standoff, redirecting her attention. He could almost 'feel' her decision, the cool calculation that said that if she couldn't have the one; then she'd take the other, just if not more, capable one.

Then she started pushing every emotional button Leonhart had. Like it hadn't been all that hard to figure out that Leonhart feared being abandoned, but letting his rival know he knew would show that he cared. And everyone knew that those who put on an icy front did so as armor (he ignored the whispers in his head that said that his brash arrogance was another way to shield the same vulnerability). He'd tried to regain his rival's attention, anything to keep the bitch out of his mind, but had only ended up in his current predicament.

He swore as luridly as possible, absently internally smirking at Instructor Trepe's and Chicken-wuss's embarrassed flushes at his vocabulary. He also noticed that the yellow messenger-girl (he thought her name was Selphie Til-something or other) was fascinated by the colorful phrases; likely too busy embedding them in her memory to be shocked. Leonhart was gone, ensnared by a mind-sucking leech that wanted to use his skills for world domination or some other such purpose. Truthfully, he didn't have much of a problem with the reason. Though he hadn't passed the exam, he'd taken it enough times to be well aware of the fact that SeeDs were mercenaries who if contracted to do so, would gladly slaughter an entire country and not lose a single minute of sleep over it. What he _did_ mind was the fact that she had stolen his rival to do so. Leonhart was _His_.

A thought occurred to him, and he chuckled, almost in spite of himself. Instantly, Instructor Trepe was on his ass. "What's so funny, Seifer." She demanded.

"Just that you'll have to make me a SeeD now." He grinned, showing all his teeth.

"What the Hell are you talking about Seifer!!? You failed the exams, broke out of detention, caused an international incident, and endangered Garden. Why on earth should you be made a SeeD!"

"I won't deny the first two, but the third was the intention for an assigned mission, I just speeded the process up a bit. As for the last, that was Chicken-wuss being even more of a moron than he usually is, not me. As for why I should be made SeeD?" he grinned again. "I'm the only one who has a chance to Hyne of kicking Leonhart's ass and bringing him back to Garden. Not that I need to be a SeeD to do that of course."

The good instructor blinked, the actual logic behind Seifer's reply momentarily stunning her. Then her composure returned. "You make good points, but I doubt Headmaster Cid will instate you as a SeeD simply to catch Squall. I know the two of you are extremely talented but there are plenty of SeeDs that are equally skilled."

"You just don't get it, do you Trepe." The blond groaned, getting to his feet. "It's not a question of skill; it's a question of stubborn. Only one person is both good enough with weapons, and bullheaded enough to go head to head with him and get out alive, and that's yours truly. Not to mention, Puberty Boy's found the one person be believes will never leave him, so he's going to fight all that much harder for that." The blank looks on his companions' faces infuriated the blond. "Hyne's fucking balls, I can't be the only person who figured it out! One of the ways I found to get him going all out was to imply that I'd leave and get another sparring partner. It's the whole reason he avoids people back at garden, if he isn't close to anyone, it won't hurt when they leave. And in his mind they _always_ leave. Now he's got a mind-fucking bitch in his head that tells him that she will never leave him. Do the math, _Instructor_."

"But Squall wouldn't betray Garden!" Seifer glared at the spiky blond, it was his fault that all this was happening. He needed to keep his beak shut to avoid any more chances of something going wrong again.

"Puberty Boy's not in his right mind, Chicken-wuss, or did you not just hear me? Now keep your beak shut before I need to do it for you." he waved Hyperion for extra emphasis, sheathed the gunblade, and shook his head regretfully. "Come on, someone has to tell the Old Fart about what happened to Leonhart. With any luck, we'll get a mission to retrieve him." Without another word, he strode out of the backroom; the SeeD's following behind him. Reentering the main studio, he nearly tripped over a dark haired girl dressed in blue that looked pretty familiar. "Rinoa?"

She smiled at him, "Hi Seifer. Sorry to hear that you didn't make it as a SeeD."

"The only reason I failed, is that I discovered the true objective of the enemy during the exam, and disobeyed orders to neutralize it. The other members of my squad passed just fine." he replied shortly. He shook his head, impatient. He didn't want to think about the exam just now. Right now, all he could think about was getting Leonhart's skinny, leather-clad ass back to Garden where it belonged. There was no one else in the whole facility able to give him a proper fight if the brunet was gone. That's all there was to it. If he got SeeD status to go along with the return of his rival, that would be just a bonus. On the other hand, thanks to Chicken-wuss's loose lips, there was Galbadia's potential retaliation to consider. If the tattooed freak had simply kept his mouth shut like the messenger girl, there wouldn't be this problem. Sure Deling would have been furious, but he wouldn't have known exactly who to blame for the attack.

"Seifer," Trepe called from behind him, no doubt trying to keep up.

"What?" he insolently replied.

"How do you know so much about the Sorceress?" she asked, honestly curious.

"Is that who the broad with the serious case of fashion maladjustment was?" he asked, half seriously. At Trepe's angry glare, he put his hands up in mock-surrender. "I didn't know who she was, not precisely. She tried to get her hooks into me, first. I was in the process of telling her to go the hell, when Leonhart interrupted me, and caught her attention. I could see her getting to him, but nothing I did made any difference. You arrived; she disappeared, taking Leonhart with her. You know the rest."

She blinked, and adjusted her glasses. "Wow, you actually made a mature decision. I'm surprised at you."

He snarled, wishing he could call Ifrit down on her smug little head. Unfortunately, he wasn't Junctioned, given that he hadn't had enough time during his break out to grab a GF. Plus, with his luck, Leonhart might have had his favorite GF with him when he…. was taken. But then, Squally-boy had always preferred Shiva and had a low compatibility with Ifrit. And while some SeeDs would call leaving Garden without at least one GF suicide, he knew that his physical skills with hand-to-hand and his weapon were more than enough for most monsters and any soldiers he would find. His ass was toast if he went up against another GF, but hey, he hadn't planned on fighting them.

Fighting…. right, there was something that he had to do right now. Sure, the job was technically supposed to be done by Leonhart, but as he was unavailable, Chicken-wuss and the messenger-girl were morons whom he doubted were even aware of the legalities behind what he was about to do, and Trepe had no initiative to speak of, the job fell to him. Going up to Rinoa, obviously the on-mission contact for the Forest Owls, he told her using the formal language required when invoking the Breach of Contract Clause, woven in to any SeeD contract, "as your immediate errand has been completed, and as Garden has other responsibilities to care for at this moment, I hereby cancel the contract between us. If you have any complaints with how SeeD has handled itself in the field, or would like to negotiate another contract once Garden has completed its other business, I suggest you speak to Headmaster Cid Kramer at Balamb Garden for any details that may come up." A formal SeeD salute, to which his old girlfriend clumsily returned, and he went back to his openmouthed companions. Predictably, Trepe pitched a fit as soon as they were outside the range of civilian ears.

"You had no right to dissolve the contract Seifer." If her voice got any colder, she'd be imitating Diamond Dust. "None whatsoever. You have no authority when it comes to Garden matters..."

"But that's where you're wrong, Trepe." He flashed one of his trademark smirks. "As a member of the Disciplinary Committee, I have authority equal to that of an Instructor." Huh. Why had that of all things made Tight-Ass-Trepe color? Who cared? "Even though I'm not officially a SeeD, Disciplinary Committee members have the authority to override even the orders of assigned Squad leaders in the field, if there is evidence of breaches of Garden conduct in order to neutralize potential situations detrimental to Garden." Seifer cast a predatory look at Dincht, whose tattoo was standing out in even starker relief than usual. "And I think that we have 2 such instances here, a case of desertion and a case of implication of Garden's presence during a mission, therefore I am more than justified in taking command." He grinned, bouncing on his toes in false good cheer. "So, who's up for going to Galbadia Garden?"

"Wait!" the group paused, looking back to see Rinoa running after them. She stopped just behind them, panting slightly from the effort of catching up. "Could you take me with you? I just heard from Zone, I can't stay in Timber any longer; the Galbadian army's destroyed the hideout. The others got away, but the army's looking for me, and I don't have any way to get out of town on my own." She turned on the full force of what she believed to be her charm of Seifer. To think he'd actually fallen for it once upon a time. Hyne's balls, what had he been drinking then? "I know that the contract is no longer valid, but… could you do me this one favor? Please?"

"Sure!" squealed the messenger-girl, though Trepe looked a bit cautious at the prospect. But then, she'd be more aware of what could go wrong with escorting an unaffiliated civilian through the wilds and into a Garden without a contract. If the contract had still been active, it wouldn't have been a problem, but Seifer stood by his decision. The mission had been too much for three rookies, even if Leonhart had been one of them. The prospect of Galbadia's retribution, was more than enough reason for Garden to pull in its reserves, not to mention whatever it was that the Sorceress-bitch had planned that required someone of Leonhart's caliber to pull off. If he had to guess, the Timber independence mission wouldn't be the last one to be canceled. Ah fuck it, there was no getting away from the fact that he had to escort clingy-Miss Rinoa at least all the way to Galbadia Garden, perhaps longer if he didn't manage to ditch her there.

"Fine, just don't slow us down. I know you can take most monsters, but don't make one of us come back and save you." He snapped, relenting with ill grace.

//\\

Squall stood tall behind his Lady, who had revealed Herself to be the Sorceress Edea, soon-to-be appointed Peace Ambassador by President Deling. He snorted at the foolish notion that anyone could command his Lady, but for now it suited Her purpose to allow the president to believe he did so. It was Her that had convinced the idiot to drop all measures against Garden, though truthfully he would have been hard-pressed to carry out the promised retaliation, as an offensive against Garden, so soon after stating his desire for Peace, would damage his plans in the long run. He watched as She finished addressing the fool, knowing full well that She was only waiting for the right time to dispose of the trash. Finally She left, not waiting to be dismissed, as was Her right.

"Have you finished the security arrangements for the parade, My knight?" She asked; referring to the parade scheduled to follow the ceremony confirming Her appointment as they passed through the halls to return to Her rooms.

"Yes."

"Did you have to dispose of many guards before you found ones who can be trusted?"

"Some. Not as many as I expected. The guards are trained to be loyal and follow orders, no matter who happens to be giving them."

"Good. Will the security arraignments be enough to thwart any schemes by SeeD should they try to infiltrate?"

"I can't predict how the Gardens will act."

"Do you think they will try to get you back?

"Even if they try, they will fail. My place is at your side."

That startled a laugh from Her. "My Loyal Lion." She said as he opened the door for Her. "I have a gift for you as a token of My faith in you."

"The only reward I need is to continue serving you."

"That is exactly why I must give you this." She crossed the entrance hall, entering Her private chamber and came back carrying a gunblade case. "Take this, Squall Leonhart, take this and use it against My enemies."

Opening the case, he found a gunblade unlike any he had ever seen before. It was of the Revolver design, the same as his current gunblade, only this gunblade glowed with a deadly pale blue gleam, illuminating the stylized drawing of a roaring lion inscribed onto the blade. Almost against his will, Squall's left hand flew to the Griever pendant he had never taken off. It was a perfect match.

"Does it have a name?" he said, awe shinning through his voice at the magnificence of the weapon, only daring to ask anything of his Lady due to his preoccupation with the magnificent gunblade. As soon as he realized what he had done, he hastened to apologize. "Forgive me. It is not my place to question you."

She smiled indulgently. "I will allow it this time. Yes, it does have a name, one that is well suited to you. It is called LionHeart. As you are My knight, and you have the heart of Griever himself, it is only right for you to wield it."

Slowly, reverently, he picked up the gunblade. Kneeling before his Lady with the glowing gunblade in a formal salute he promised, "As long as I wield this, all of Your enemies might as well be already dead."

Looking at the ground in submission, he didn't see the cold, cruel smile bloom on Her face at his words.

//\\

By the time the party arrived at Galbadia Garden, Seifer was nearly ready to unsheathe Hyperion and gut someone, preferably Chicken-wuss or Rinoa. The whole way there she hadn't shut up at all, talking about everything her spoiled little mind could come up with, and actually encouraging Tilmitt, who was enough of a chatterbox on her own, And let's not forget the weird dream encounter where he'd appeared to be an idiot who talked too much and could hardly tell which end of his gun was the business end. But, there was something about the moron that almost reminded him of Leonhart, something in the way he looked when he'd study a problem, but then the idiot would ruin it and spout some inane nonsense.

When Trepe reported back from her meeting with Headmaster Martine that apparently Deling had somehow decided not to move against Garden, Seifer's eyes had narrowed. He didn't for a moment believe that an egomaniac like Deling would have simply called off the hunt. That smelled like a cover-up for something that was going to be even more fucked-up than a direct attack on Garden when the shit hit the fan. He could see the relief on the chicken's face when he realized he wouldn't be to blame for a massed attack on the only home he knew, but Seifer had just enough compassion for the idiot not to twist the knife any deeper than he had already. He had other things to worry about.

Like what the fuck had happened to Squall? According to the Galbadian Headmaster, there had been no word of Leonhart's movements, which was fucking impossible, as there were very few who answered his rival's description, or came close to matching his skills. Seifer was positive that his own movements had been noticed by at least 3 Garden information specialists, despite choosing to travel backcountry as to avoid the Galbadian army. The only reason he could find for having no word was that someone was covering up Puberty-Boy's movements from high up, like perhaps, the Sorceress-bitch.

The only bright spot he could find at was reuniting with his posse. Fujin and Raijin had been detailed to send new orders to Squall's team, and had been understandably alarmed that the Sorceress had been able to corrupt Leonhart of all people, well, as much as Fujin could be alarmed. He didn't know what the orders were; he'd been tossed from the room with Prissy-pants Rinoa while Trepe and the others were briefed; at least, not officially. Fujin and Raijin had filled him in on the specifics. It was a termination order on no less than Sorceress Edea herself, co-signed by both Headmaster Cid of Balamb Garden, and Headmaster Martine of Galbadia Garden. A Galbadian sharpshooter would be attached to the party from Balamb for the actual deed, the Balamb SeeD's were to provide back up and support.

He planned on attaching himself to the party as well. Both Messenger-girl and Chicken-wuss were too new to know much of anything about field operations, and Trepe couldn't put on her uniform without orders. Someone would have to be the there to keep the details straight, not to mention, there was always a chance that the sniper would miss, and that meant that he'd have an opportunity to face Leonhart. Putting Puberty-Boy in his place again would do wonders for his mood.

Lazily, he straightened up from his slouched posture as the three from Balamb with the addition of one newcomer neared his position. Seifer eyed the well-worn shotgun of the newcomer, held in an easy firing position even within the relative safety of the owner's home Garden. This would be the sharpshooter, young certainly, but without a doubt good at his craft or he wouldn't be assigned to the mission. There was a predatory laziness to the sniper's movements, one Seifer had seen before in others who practiced the same trade.

"And who are you?" the sniper asked, almost rudely. Seifer grinned at the implied challenge. This looked to be almost as fun as baiting Leonhart.

"The name's Seifer Almasy, Cowboy. And do I get a return introduction?

"Irvine Kinneas. Now why would such a handsome man as yourself be waiting outside the door?" the last was said in a polite drawl that almost masked the implied challenge and threat in the words. Almost.

"Waiting." was all he replied, flashing Kinneas with one of his trademark smirks. He could see the Cowboy visibly struggle with his temper, then forcibly relaxed, settling into a determinately affable grin. Oh, yes, the Cowboy was definitely a fun one to be around. His smirk widened by a hair.

A smack on his shoulder, thankfully on his left one to prevent the bruise from impacting the use of Hyperion, recalled his mind to business. "BEHAVE" the silver haired girl intoned.

"Why are you still here, Seifer? You aren't coming with us." Why oh why couldn't Trepe give it a rest? He had every right to go on the mission, not that she was aware of his reasoning.

"Afraid I am, Quisty." He gave her his most sincere smirk, internally gloating over how she recoiled at the expression. "You're going to run into Leonhart on your mission, and given that the handbook, prevents you from arresting fellow SeeD personnel on mission without the presence of at least one Disciplinary Committee member…." He trailed off, letting her draw her own conclusions.

"There's no word that Squall will be with Sorceress Edea." She protested.

"Quisty, Quisty, Quisty, I know independent thought is hard for you, but please _try _to use your brain." How on earth had Trepe passed the exams, let alone made Instructor while being that thick? "You know how good Garden intelligence is: Headmaster Martine wasn't at all surprised to see you, was he? The only way for Leonhart's movements not to be noticed was if someone high up in the Galbadian government was cloaking them. Any guesses who?"

The cowboy was looking between Trepe and himself, likely unsure what was going on. Likely Trepe and the others had neglected to mention that one of their own had been taken over by the target. "Not to interrupt or anything, but who's this 'Leonhart' you're talking about?" he asked, addressing Seifer.

"Squall Leonhart, rookie SeeD, and the second best gunblader in all of Balamb Garden, was Chicken-wuss and Tilmitt's squad leader on a mission to Timber. I followed them there, knowing the situation called for more than three rookies. Trepe followed me. In Timber, we came into contact with the Sorceress, and she took Leonhart over. Evading the Galbadian Army, we came here. End of story." There was no need to tell anyone who didn't already know about the fact that the Sorceress had tried to get into his head; his reputation would never stand it. His posse was a special case. Looking at Trepe, he could see that she wasn't going to budge. All right, so he'd have to get creative….

"Say, Trepe," and Seifer noticed how he'd caught the attention of the Instructor by the use of her surname rather than the irritating diminutive. "Neither of us are going to back down on our stance on Leonhart's movements and your mission orders. Therefore, I propose a bet."

"A bet?" Trepe's disgusted face at the sheer prospect nearly made Seifer crack up laughing.

"Yeah, a bet. Let me come with you this one time, and if Leonhart is somewhere only Hyne-knows where, I'll return to Garden, and submit myself to whatever punishment you, the Headmaster, or the Garden master's flunkies think up. I won't resist, even if the punishment is something along the lines of imprisonment, exile from Garden, stopping calling the Chicken names, or even turning over Hyperion." The last clause should tell Trepe he was serious, despite the irreverent tone. Everyone knew he held far too much respect for his weapon to risk it lightly. He could feel the questioning gazes of his posse on his back, but ignored them for now. This was too important for questions.

He could see that he was drawing Trepe in to his proposal almost against her will. She was suspicious of him, and she had good reason to be. Little did she know that in her suspicion, she was playing right into his hands.

"And if you're right, what would you get?"

He laid a hand on his heart, showing exaggerated sincerity. "Why, nothing but being able to make decisions and join SeeDs on missions without you second-guessing my every move. And SeeD status would be nice."

His last addition had been a mistake, and he knew it was one as soon as it left his mouth. Whereas before Trepe had been staring to follow along with Seifer's plans, but now she completely shut down. "I have no authority when it comes to making you SeeD, but even if I did, I wouldn't. You proved yourself unfit to handle to responsibility in the exams."

He forced a frustrated sigh from between his teeth. He needed Trepe's cooperation and go along with his plans, just this once. And given that Tilmitt had very kindly donated Ifrit to him on the trip over here, he had the means to incinerate Trepe if he wanted to, but indulging his temper just now would do more harm to his plans than good. Releasing another breath, he attempted to use reason.

"If this is about my exam results- forget it. Nothing I say will do anything to change your mind. But answer me this, do you trust Squall's judgment? Before he was taken by the Sorceress, that is."

At the blonde's instant nod, he restrained the victory dance and continued on. "I know it doesn't mean anything in the end, but Squall respected and supported my judgment during the exams, and you passed him. Probably with very high marks, am I right? You just said yourself that you trusted his judgment. Either both of us were wrong then, or both of us were right. Given what Garden later found out about the Galbadian Army's motives…." He trailed off and let the facts speak for themselves.

"You still disobeyed orders." The Instructor was reluctant to let go.

"You've got enough combat experience to know that orders don't mean shit on a battlefield. Particularly orders that tie a unit to a spot, when it might be more than clear to the commander that the enemy is very interested in something somewhere else and the unit is needed elsewhere." He sighed. "I got everyone to this Garden safely. Trust that and trust Leonhart's assessment of my command abilities if you don't trust anything else. "

A breathe, and with no reaction from Trepe, he turned, and walked away, toward the Galbadia Garden's front gate, the silent shadows of his posse following. He'd played his best card and lost. Now, how to Hyne was he to drag Leonhart back to Garden? He'd been so sure that he'd be able to tag along with Trepe's little gang, but apparently, his presence wasn't wanted. Maybe he should have gone with the bitch. At least then everybody wouldn't be questioning his motives about why he stayed with Garden after he failed the exams, or why he broke out of detention to give his rival back up. No, not everybody was against him. His posse was loyal. If he defected from Garden, he knew that they'd follow him in a heartbeat.

His mind froze on that thought. Fujin and Raijin would follow him to the ends of the earth and into the bowels of hell before he asked them to. Who did Leonhart have? No one. None of the few relationships Squall Leonhart had formed before his defection meant squat when faced with a Sorceress with a taste for mind-control. There was none willing to go to the wall and past it for Leonhart, and Seifer found himself actually pitying his absent rival for that.

Lost in his thoughts, Seifer didn't pay any attention to the calls behind him, before a yellow blur of copper-haired energy zoomed around him to catch his attention. "What are you doing waking away, Seifer? I've never seen Quistis get _owned_ like that before. That was awesome!! I mean, you actually got her to back down and change her mind, which from what I've heard is like, _totally_ impossible to do. You _have_ to tell me how you did it-"

"Darlin' let the man get a word in edgewise." Kinneas thankfully interrupted as Seifer was getting a bit lost in all of Tilmitt's babble. "She was saying that you managed to change Miss Trepe's mind about allowing you to come along. She accepts the terms of your bet."

He couldn't help it. He went into his post-battle victory routine. Everyone had one, even Leonhart, much as the brunet liked to deny it. Another punch to the back of the shoulder from his posse was required to settle him down. "IDIOT" Fujin said without heat.

"Ya did look pretty ridiculous there Seifer, ya know?"

"Shut it you two. I actually got one over Tight-Ass Trepe for once. Don't you know how rare that is?"

"Call me that one more time, and I'm changing my mind again. One screw up from you, and the deal is off." Even Trepe's 'friendly' warning wasn't enough to dampen Seifer's spirits. They had a Sorceress to kill, and a stubborn lion to convince to return home, but things were as good as they could get, at least without Leonhart bowing before him in submission that is.

Owari

Till chapter 2

Please, please don't kill me!!!! I know you all are waiting for chapter 3 of Cloudy Skies, I know!!! But the plotbunny ambushed me and wouldn't let go!!!! And while I was writing it, Seifer took over control of his parts and you know how stubborn he is!! I promise on the holy bible of Microsoft Word not to work on this story until I've updated Cloudy Skies. You have my oath as a writer.

I had the hardest time writing Squall for some reason: perhaps the Lionhearted one dislikes expressing himself, even through the medium of my story. In contrast, I couldn't get Seifer to shut up…….

My first foray into Final Fantasy VIII, and my first Final Fantasy story that has made it this far. Who hooo!!! Now review and tell me how I did, Or Squall will glare at me and Seifer will stick me with Hyperion for reversing their roles and ….. ;looks furtively over shoulder;


	2. Chapter 2

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 2

//\\

Arriving at General Caraway's mansion, Seifer felt his bad mood worsen. Not only had the SeeDs and posse been forced to bring Rinoa along with them to get her off Garden facilities (the general was apparently her estranged father), but the jokers who supplied the general with security work had refused to allow them entrance, not even when Trepe produced the password agreed upon for recognition. Either the security people simply didn't know the password, or they were unaware that the General was highly involved in a plot to kill the new Peace Ambassador or even if the General simply wanted to test them before the mission, didn't truly matter. Seifer could understand if the general had neglected to inform his staff about his plans, the fewer people who knew, was less people who could talk under torture. What pissed him off was that a few low-life security people, who hadn't been in a real fight in years, or ever, could deny entrance to trained, experienced SeeDs, and get away with it under Garden Protocol. There was nothing he could do, so he worked off the mood on those monsters unlucky enough to be in Hyperion's way during the pointless exercise.

When they were finally allowed entrance, Seifer slumped in a corner with his posse at his back and let Trepe do the talking. He wasn't sure he could go without insulting the contact after that annoying diversion. Sure, the detour had been good for stress relief, but otherwise it had been completely pointless. From the black looks he'd received while waiting for the General to arrive, his mood had been noticed and Trepe was giving him silent warnings to behave.

After the general began to outline the shape of the plot, Seifer became more interested. From the sound of it, from what he could tell from just the description, it sounded well thought out, but incomplete. As the General asked for questions, he raised his head.

"Just one, General. Have you seen or heard about a young man with brown hair and blue-grey eyes, about my age, and a scar between his eyes," here Seifer traced the path of his rival's scar with a finger, "with or near the Sorceress? He'd likely have been wearing a lot of leather and carrying a gunblade."

Seifer could hear Trepe's nearly silent hiss that this wasn't the time for asking about that. He ignored her, holding up one hand for silence as he listened for the general's reply.

"Now that you mention it, I have seen him. He goes everywhere with the Sorceress, almost as if he's Her shadow. Intimidated more than his fair share of Society with his silent stare, but She allows him to get away with it, almost as if She seems to enjoy it. How have you heard about him? I thought She made sure that any rumors about him are professionally squashed. "

Seifer grinned. Confermation of his rival's presence was had, and there was nothing Trepe could do to hide it. He'd won the pointless bet, and Trepe was now going to allow him free rein as to his movements. "His name is Squall Leonhart, who was recently taken over by Her on his latest mission. He's a SeeD, but who knows if his status is still valid after defecting, even if it was under mental influence." The General didn't need to know much more than that and the man seemed to realize it, not questioning how Seifer knew that Squall had turned due to mind control. There was one remaining question however.

"If you know his name, do you know his stats as well?" it was a fair question, but one Seifer had no intention of replying completely to.

"Let's just say he was one of the most promising cadets Garden has ever had." And it was completely true. He'd hacked Leonhart's grades on more than one occasion, which were always right up there with his own, jockeying for first. And he could well testify to his rival's physical abilities, as the other boy had used Seifer to develop them for the most part. Not to mention that Trepe had all but admitted that Leonhart had passed the SeeD exams with the best score.

The general nodded sharply, no doubt going over the plan and working out how to account for the Sorceress having an extremely skilled bodyguard. Before he could share the altered plans with the SeeDs, Rinoa burst into the room. Finding herself to be the target of several _very_ annoyed glares, (and Seifer knew from experience that Fujin in particular was no slouch in communicating her displeasure, one eye or no), she subsided a bit from her initial enthusiasm.

"I've found something that might help you on your mission," she said, holding up what looked like a –a bracelet? Seifer found his estimation of Rinoa's intelligence dropping downward. Was she insane? Was she really thinking that a little thing like bracelet would be able to take down a powerful Sorceress? Clearly she must be dreaming.

"Hey, that looks like an Odine bangle," Zell bounced. At the uncomprehending looks, the martial artist explained, "Dr. Odine is the foremost authority on magical artifacts. If I remember correctly-shut it Seifer- the bangle is supposed to stifle magical ability to nearly nothing. You can't even cast Draw with that thing on."

Foiled at yet another opportunity to mock the Chicken, Seifer studied the delicate artifact. After a minute he looked up. "I think I read somewhere that the magic of Sorceresses is slightly different from the magic we use. So yeah, wearing one of these things could cripple a SeeD on active duty, but I don't think it would be of much help otherwise. Besides, She'd have to be wearing that thing for it to have any effect, so this," he bounced the bangle on one palm, "is of no use to use whatsoever." With that, he lobbed it gently into Rinoa's waiting hands with a plop. He glared at the watching Trepe, just on general principals. Sure enough, the Instructor was slightly gaping at Seifer's demonstration of knowledge. He didn't know why she was so surprised, just because he hadn't paid close attention to her classes didn't mean he was stupid. And given that he had been repeating most of his classes for a while now, he'd found better things to do with his time than pay attention to things he already knew.

Seeing a familiar mulish look on Rinoa's face, Seifer interrupted before she could get an idea that would result in her getting in the way of the mission. He had to shoot her down swiftly, completely, but gently, or she'd only dig her heels in harder. "No, this isn't the time for you get all heroic and join us. As you are no longer are in possession of a SeeD contract, you have no place on a mission. I allowed you to join us on our way to Galbadia, because you didn't have any other way to get out of Timber. If you keep your head down now, you should be able to claim you were not involved when Deling's goons come sniffing around after the mission trying to find out who killed the Sorceress. And if for some reason we fail, we need to keep at least one contact out of the line of fire to bail out those who find themselves in trouble. Understand?"

Rinoa nodded, successfully derailed from something of colossal stupidity. Though Seifer likely thought that it was his last argument that had convinced her, more than any of his other points. He truthfully didn't care why she did it, but he wanted her to stay out of the line of fire. Not out of concern, but because Leonhart was an opponent best handled with minimum distractions.

The General had a revised plan ready. "Here's how we do this…"

//\\

Pushing through the crowd that had turned up to watch the parade, Seifer led the Cowboy to their post. Much against his better judgment, Seifer had been posted to babysit the sniper instead of being in a position to take on Leonhart. That was left to the posse, and though he well knew Fujin and Raijin's worth as warriors, he knew that they couldn't take Leonhart by themselves. It didn't matter now, he'd been overruled when he protested and was assigned to his current spot. Arriving outside the closed gates of the Presidential residence, he ignored the restless jostle if the crowd as he mentally calculated the distance from his current position to the podium where the Sorceress was scheduled to give a speech right before the parade. Fuck, it was out of Hyperion's lethal range, the worst the Bitch would get if he shot from that distance would be a painful graze. A considering glance at the Cowboy's obviously beloved shotgun earned him a 'don't-you-even-_think_-about-it' glare and a shift that put the gun out of Seifer's immediate reach. He ignored the speech, your usual "I-am –almighty-and –you-worms-are-dust-beneath-my-feet," villainous bullshit. The only thing that was slightly disturbing was that the crowd cheered gleefully at each insult. The masses didn't even react when the Bitch killed Deling right before their eyes.

Only a few minutes after the speech ended, the gates opened and the parade began. As the massive float carrying the Sorceress turned to follow the scheduled route, even though he was expecting it, Seifer still felt ice crawl up his spine. There was Leonhart, standing at the Sorceress's right hand, a drool-worthy, blue, glowing gunblade before him at formal parade rest. His rival's eyes were never still, professionally sweeping the crowd for threats. Seifer had to restrain the urge to duck, only holding on to the impulse with the knowledge that such an action would draw Leonhart's gaze faster than any others.

Once the float had passed, Kinneas turned to Seifer and asked, "Who was _that_?" in tones that managed to combine fear and awe.

Seifer had a good idea who the sharpshooter was talking about, but he played with the Cowboy for a bit. He needed it, despite mentally preparing himself for the confrontation with his rival; he still had a few nerves left. "If you can't recognize your target after having her introduced, than I'd wonder about the training you received at Galbadia Garden."

"Not her. The guy standing next to her in the leather and with the weird weapon."

"That's the Squall Leonhart you've been hearing so much about, Cowboy. The 'weird weapon' you were admiring is a gunblade, though I've never seen that particular blue beauty before." He winked at Kinneas. "And regardless if you hit or miss, we're going up against him. You game?"

The sniper pushed past Seifer, muttering something darkly under his breath about how he "didn't miss." The Cowboy was _so_ defensive about his shooting ability, a defensiveness that all but shouted to Seifer's bully instincts that the sharpshooter was hiding something. Ah hell, much as he'd like to continue baiting the Cowboy, he had a job to do. They had only so long before the float would be in position, it wouldn't due to miss their opportunity. Still chuckling under his breath, Seifer followed Kinneas to the prepared sniper's nest.

/\

Everything in the prepared nest was all set up, just like the general had promised. The sniper rifle, more accurate at long distances than Kinneas's shotgun, was already assembled and ready, with a tripod off to the side should Kinneas need it. Bored already, and with nothing to stare at while the nest was still concealed, Seifer's gaze settled on Kinneas's hunched over form. His eyes narrowed. To casual eyes, the sharpshooter looked to be psyching himself up for the shot. Those eyes would miss the occasional shudder that twitched the sniper's shoulders, a shudder that could easily mess up the precise aim needed for long distance shooting.

Glancing at his watch, Seifer cursed. It was almost time for the shot. Kinneas should be moving into position so he would be ready when the cue came. Moving to where the Cowboy was still hunched over with the sniper rifle against his shoulder, not anywhere near a firing position. He considered placing a hand on the sharpshooter's shoulder, decided that it was far too nice for his reputation, and let the hand lightly smack the back of the Cowboy's head instead. "Oi, Kinneas, wakey, wakey. You have to get ready."

"I-I can't do it…" the Cowboy's voice was shakier than his shoulders were. "I can't deal with high-stakes assignments. Hit or miss, I'll change history, and…" his voice trailed off. Seifer glared his irritation at the sharpshooter's stupid hat, something wasn't settling right. Headmaster Martine had said he was sending his best sharpshooter as liaison to the Balamb mission, but Kinneas wasn't acting like a professional, more like a green rookie who was absolutely sure that he would miss. The blond gunblader shook his head in disgust, then stilled. Moving with predatory intensity, he moved until his face was inches from the sniper's.

"You have pressure problems." He stated in a flat voice, leaving no room for rebuttal. Kinneas didn't even try to defend his skill, simply curled into a tighter ball as if that would help him escape from Seifer's scorn. "Does your Headmaster know?" the question snapped over Kinneas like a whip. The sniper nodded miserably. "Then why in Hyne's Holy Name, did he assign you to the mission!"

Kinneas looked up, eyes defiant. "Because I have 98% accuracy. That's higher than anyone in all the Gardens, Balamb and Trabia included. The only times I miss are…" he trailed off.

"Times like now, huh?" Seifer took another glance at his watch. It was almost time. Hyne's balls, he was a bully, and proud of it. He was great at interrogation and breaking his opponents down with words and skill, he didn't know how to build someone up. But he had to do so fast, or they'd miss their opportunity. Shit, he wasn't Leonhart…wait. He had an idea. He crouched down, and laid a companionable arm across Kinneas's shoulders. The sniper stared at it as if it were diseased, and then looked at Seifer.

Seifer smirked. His fish was baited, now all he had to do was draw him to the hook. "Look, Kinneas remember what I told you about Leonhart?" at the sharpshooter's nod, he continued. "Like I said earlier, you hit or miss we have to take him on so he can go back to Balamb for a trial. All you are doing, is giving the go, can you do that? Give us the signal, and we can move in and take the Sorceress out and Leonhart prisoner."

Kinneas looked at Seifer as if he were mad. "Are you crazy? You can't go after Garden personnel without… he trailed off, obviously remembering certain facts about Seifer that did indeed give him the right to arrest members of SeeD in the field.

"Never you mind what I'm allowed to do or not do. All you need to do is give me the signal. Or is that too much for you?"Seifer allowed himself to sneer, as if really thinking Kinneas couldn't shoot a measly signal shot. The sniper's back straightened, and he shrugged of Seifer's arm with a single movement, picking up the sniper rifle and situating it in his arms, ready to fire. Seifer moved closer to the edge, ready to jump down and steal a car to get to the arch where the float would be trapped, one eye glued to his watch. As if they'd planned it, the instant both boys were in place, the time came and the nest moved up out of concealment. Kinneas took an instant to verify the target, and took his shot, Seifer already in motion while the guards were still startled by the unexpected interruption of the parade. By the time they reacted, Seifer had already stolen a car and was putting it in gear. From his angle, he couldn't see what had happened on the float, couldn't tell if Kinneas had hit and there would be a dead or dying Sorceress on the ground, or if for some reason the sharpshooter had missed and there was a ticked-off Sorceress for his posse to face.

He jammed on the breaks, giving the car a vicious spin while he did so, so the car skidded sideways into the bars holding the float inside arch, swearing as his trench coat snagged. Ripping himself free, he clambered up onto the float and allowed himself a beat to access the situation. The Sorceress was bloody, but alive, Leonhart having obviously used one of his items to revive her from Kinneas's shot. That drool-worthy, blue gunblade was slightly darkened with blood on one edge, Fujin's blood. The slighter member of his posse was down on one knee, chakram just out of easy reach, favoring her right arm. Raijin had his quarterstaff at a defensive angle, covering Fujin, likely trying to buy time until Seifer arrived.

Pulling Hyperion from its holster, he moved, catching the strange blade before it could connect with Raijin. Over the crossed gunblades, he allowed himself a wide smirk, as if he and Leonhart were back at Garden and were simply sparring as they always did. Leonhart narrowed his eyes before he shoved Seifer off with a heave. The two gunbladers took an instant to simply glare at each other before Seifer allowed his smirk to grow, simply because it pissed his rival off. Seifer was briefly grateful that Hyperion had a one-handed grip, it allowed him to engage Leonhart and still hand-signal Raijin to look after Fujin, not that Raijin needed the instruction. His posse understood that this was Seifer's show now, Kinneas had given his best shot, and been foiled by a Phoenix Down.

"Nice new gunblade, Princess," Seifer allowed his admiration for the weapon to seep into his voice. "but don't you think it's a bit much to christen a new blade with the blood of a fellow SeeD?" both Seifer and Leonhart knew that Fujin had never taken the test, in fact, had publically refused to test until Seifer had gained SeeD rank, the same as Raijin. The point was still there, and that was what counted. Leonhart merely grunted, dancing under Seifer's guard before the blond swayed out of reach and counterattacked. Seifer inwardly frowned; this exchange was taking too long. Fun as it was, the longer he danced with Leonhart, the longer the Sorceress had to recover from being shot. Taking a chance, he broke away from the standoff, and fired a round of his own at the Evil Bitch, but was unable to be sure of his aim due to his haste and the need to keep an eye on his rival at the same time. A howl of wind shrieked around the float, pushing Seifer away from his rival with its intensity. At the corner of his eye, he saw Raijin help Fujin to her feet, and carefully hand her the dropped weapon. Good, he had backup if he needed it. And none too soon. The Sorceress was getting up; she had been the source of the wind spell that had ended his dance with Leonhart.

Looking away from the two of them, Seifer saw what had to have been the most disturbing sight of his entire life. His proud, beautiful rival was on his knees, head bowed in submission to a power-hungry Bitch of a Sorceress. There were no words for exactly how _wrong_ it was. While he might have loudly fantasized about the sight in Leonhart's hearing to piss the other boy off, Seifer couldn't describe how disturbed he was at actually seeing it. It was as if-as if Chicken-wuss was no longer obsessed with hot-dogs, or Trepe did a regular strip-tease for her groupies. Leonhart bowed to _no one_, and yet here he was, on his knees to a Bitch who didn't deserve the honor.

He took a step forward, raising Hyperion before registering an impact throughout his entire body. His body was numb, as if he'd been hit with something though the pain was strangely absent. Vaguely he glanced down his body, almost not seeing the large icicle that had abruptly sprouted out of his shoulder. Hyperion was on the ground, when had he dropped it? The cries of his posse were almost unheard as he crumpled, his vision locked on Leonhart's eyes.

//\\

Dispassionate blue-grey eyes stared at the prisoner, still held under with Sleep spells and stripped of all weapons and trademark coat. The blond was hung from the wall as if he were a piece of meat on display or a sacrifice to an uncaring god. The latter analogy was actually rather appropriate, Squall reflected in a rare moment of poetry, given that his rival was there to be questioned and punished for his attempt against the life of his Lady, a true Goddess on earth.

Giving the guard manning the electrical station a signal to be ready, Squall canceled the spell holding the blond gunblader in dreamland. His rival didn't twitch, no doubt trying to gather as much information as possible without giving away the fact that he was awake. Too bad that it was a useless endeavor.

"Stop faking Seifer. You aren't fooling anyone. I know you're awake." The only reaction he received was a lifting of the older boy's head, confirming that Seifer had been fooling. They both knew each other far too well to be able to lie, something Squall was counting on in the coming interrogation. He let the blond futilely test the restraints for a bit, knowing that they wouldn't come loose easily. Then he got down to business.

"Let's cut the crap, Almasy. My Lady has questions She wants answered, and answers She shall have."

"What; like the exact length of my cock? Sorry Leonhart, but She'll have to find the answer to that question Her-"Seifer cut off his words in a grunt of pain, as a rush of uncontrolled electricity ran through his body.

"I told you to cut the crap." Squall's voice was quiet, but diamond hard. "Here's how it's going to be. I will ask questions. You will answer them to the best of your ability. Every time you lie, or insult my Lady in your answer, you will get another jolt of electric current. I might 'play' with the voltage a bit as well. Clear?" Sea-green eyes met blue-grey in impotent hatred, but they both knew that there was nothing the blond could do to improve his situation. The blond nodded, jerkily. It was good enough.

"What is SeeD?" it was his Lady's most pressing question, one he'd already answered to the best of his ability, but She hadn't been satisfied with the information he'd learned from Headmaster Cid at his induction. That was why it was Seifer on the rack instead of someone like Zell or Quistis. He'd spotted the other gunblader rummaging around in the Archives during class times, if there was any information in there, the blond would know it.

"Is your memory going, Leonhart? Hyne's balls, you're the one that passed the exam. Didn't the Old Fart tell you all about SeeD when you passed?"

"He was interrupted then, and my Lady already knows what I learned there. What is SeeD?"

"I don't fucking know!" why was Seifer being so obstinate? Didn't he realize that it was futile to resist the Sorceress? Didn't he realize that if he just cooperated and received his Lady's Grace, than he could be forgiven for the sin of working with SeeD? Or was he simply being too stubborn to see his own salvation? Seifer had always been willing and able to cut off his own nose to spite his face….

"Try again, Seifer. You regularly accessed the archives from your class terminal to avoid paying attention to lectures. Don't think I didn't see you. You _know_. What is SeeD?"

"I already fucking told you, I don't have a fucking clue!"

//\\

The prisoners in the large cell were huddled into two distinct groups, always aware of the invisible dividing line between the SeeDs, and Seifer's posse. Despite the separation, all 5 flinched as one when the anguished howl echoed through the metal walls as if they were paper. "SEIFER?" Fujin asked; her first word since awakening in the cell.

Quistis didn't answer immediately, though she thought it was likely. Looking at the two across from her, you couldn't tell that Fujin was still in pain from her unhealed arm or that Raijin was about to jump out of his skin from nerves, not unless you knew them both well. Only a slight stiffness to the injured limb betrayed Fujin, while the only cue from the impassive Raijin was the slight jumping of muscles in his upper arms. Also, the forlorn note in Fujin's voice could be easily missed, again unless you knew her well.

Yet again, Quistis wondered what exactly it was about Seifer that prompted those two to follow him with such unthinking loyalty. The blond gunblader was an arrogant ass who should never have been given his responsibility in her opinion, but looking at his followers made her wonder what it was about the arrogant blond that she was missing. Whatever it was, it was enough to make both Fujin and Raijin sabotage their careers in refusing to take the SeeD tests until after Seifer had passed. She'd actually overheard Xu scolding Fujin for that decision once without much success. Those two would be a tremendous asset to SeeD if they'd only consent to take the test, but their loyalty to Seifer held them back from that step.

"Who cares," Zell tossed out in answer to Fujin's query. While Quistis understood that he had undergone another session of the Dream world while unconscious, and was distracted while finding that some details in the dream that corresponded to real life, _and_ that Seifer made much amusement out of mocking the martial artist, that didn't excuse the tattooed blond from such callous disregard for Fujin's distress (the irony of the situation did not fail to escape her). She was just restraining the urge to smack the shorter blond, when Fujin got there first.

"RAGE!!!! CHICKEN, DIE!!!!!!" ignoring her injured arm, Fujin dove on Zell, trying her level best to strangle him with her bare hands. Both Quistis and Selphie immediately dove to try and rescue Zell from the full formidable force of Fujin's wrath. The former instructor spared the energy to glance at Raijin, who hadn't moved a finger to save the blond from his partner, despite his status as one of the only two who could calm her down. "Why don't you _help_?" she spat as Fujin ripped her arm from the whip-wielder's grip for the third time.

Raijin shrugged. "The Chicken-shit insulted Seifer." And that was apparently enough to justify watching his partner strangle a SeeD to death before his eyes. Quistis eyed the tense muscles of the quarterstaff user's brawny arms that suggested that Raijin wanted to take his own smacks at Zell, but was allowing his partner to take revenge for the slight against their absent leader for the both of them.

Not that the observation helped her any. She still had to find a way to get Fujin to let Zell go. Zell's one-sided feud with Seifer aside, the martial artist was their best chance of getting out, given that all their weapons had been confiscated. All of them needed those to get out, but as Zell's weapon was his body, he had the best chance of actually getting to them. Another anguished cry echoed through the walls driving Fujin on to new heights of fury that she wasn't able to help and protect her leader. Fury that she unleashed on Zell's hapless form.

Concerned, Quistis desperately tried to reason with Raijin. "If you can get Fujin to let Zell go, I bet he can retrieve our weapons so we can break out of here. If she kills him, there's nothing we can do to help Seifer!"

_That_ got Raijin moving. The big man bent over Fujin talking softly into her ear, then moved back just a hair too slowly to avoid a lethal kick to the shin. After a few moments of hopping around on one foot, he bent over his partner again. This time he was able to get her to relax her fingers a hair, just enough that Zell was able to break her grip and retreat to the far side of the cell from Fujin. Derailed from her fury, the only indicators of Fujin's previous mood left on her person was some slightly ruffled hair, while Zell was sporting several painful looking bruises around his neck. "PLAN?" was all she said in her usual monotone.

Quistis abruptly cleared her throat, trying not to be nervous with Fujin's unblinking single gaze fixed on her person. Quickly she outlined her brief plan again, looking everywhere except Fujin's ruby stare. For a brief moment, Zell looked rebellious at the thought of rescuing Seifer, but after a nervous look at Fujin and a tentative feeling up of the bruising around his neck agreed quickly. It was a simple matter for the martial artist to beat up a guard and make his way to where ever the weapons were being held. Once he returned, everyone swarmed around the blond, collecting their personal weapons, with the exception of Fujin. She didn't even glance at her chakram. "HYPERION." She demanded, apparently not content to let Seifer's beloved gunblade stay in Zell's possession a moment longer than it had to. Not wanting to argue with her after being choked to within an inch of his life, Zell let her have it. Only after the oversized (for her) blade had been strapped to her back, did she deign to collect her own weapon.

//\\

Pain filled green eyes glared at the sight before him. Leonhart had been in fine sadistic form, his interrogation Instructor would have been pleased at the showing. Seifer was somewhat less pleased, given that the one being questioned was himself. Hyne's balls, he couldn't remember Leonhart being that sadistic before. It just went to show, that he still had no idea of what exactly lay beneath Leonhart's Ice Princess exterior.

Seifer wondered exactly when Leonhart would get that he truthfully didn't know the answer to the questioning. Seifer didn't get what the big deal was, who cared what the purpose of SeeD was? Apparently Sorceress fucking Edea did, bloodthirsty bitch. True, he did have a habit of skimming the archives during lectures, but he mostly just used his Disciplinary Committee clearance to access the profiles of fellow cadets (and even some Instructors as well) during that time, looking for weaknesses that he could exploit in the halls, or to research old items and Weapons Monthly back issues, you never knew what tactics you could come up with using outdated but still functional equipment. While he could see how he _could_ have found the true purpose of SeeD in the archives, it simply hadn't been information he had been interested in. For all he knew, it wasn't even in the archives at all.

Leonhart was taking a short break from the torture, talking to some pussy guard who looked ready to piss his pants in the face of his rival's glare. Almost against his will, Seifer ran an appreciative eye over the stunningly attractive profile of the brunet. It didn't bother him that Leonhart was male, even though he usually preferred girls. But there was not a girl alive who could compare to the perfection of Leonhart's silky brown hair, with the long bangs nearly hiding stormy blue-grey eyes. Nor the perfect nose, the recent scar crossing it completing the look instead of taking away from it. It had _so_ been worth being yelled at by Trepe for marking Leonhart's face. His rival's face had been incomplete without it, the smooth perfection giving no hint of the warrior that lay underneath Leonhart's skin. Leonhart should have thanked him for making sure he didn't meet SeeD clients looking like a pansy-ass pretty boy. He'd have gotten raped within a week of his first assignment if Seifer had left his rival's face as it was. True, Leonhart still looked like a pretty boy, but at least now he was a pretty boy warrior, and the world treated him as such. There was no way that Leonhart could avoid the pretty boy label, not with those eyes, nose, and Hyne, those lips. Lips that Seifer could just picture wrapped around a cock-

What the fuck? Sure, the brunet was attractive, but this was _Leonhart_ he was thinking about. Leonhart, as in his rival, they guy who had been responsible for at least 90% of Seifer's visits to the Infirmary and vice versa. Not to mention that the bastard had just tortured him, sending repeated doses of high voltage into Seifer's body. Leonhart had never let him forget the time when they had been first learning how to Junction, when he had messed up summoning Quetzalcoatl and the GF had nearly killed him for it.

Leonhart finished making the guard crap himself, and Seifer couldn't help feeling a bit smug at the way the grown man, at least twice his rival's age, ran from the room as if Ifrit himself was on his heels. The more suicidal part of himself luxuriated in the slow, deadly stalk of Leonhart's stride towards him, and another part of him quailed at the deadly promise in those same steps. Leonhart's face might well have been carved in stone.

"Not going to change your story?" Leonhart said in an almost conversational (for him) manner. Seifer's reply was conveyed with the raising of a certain finger on one of his chained hands. Unbothered, the brunet shook his head, sending silky stands flying. "Very well. It's not as if my Lady truly needed to know the true purpose of SeeD before she eliminated it entirely."

Seifer's body went completely still. He…hadn't heard that correctly, had he? Leonhart didn't mean what he thought the brunet had said. His rival couldn't have just said that the Sorceress planned to eliminate SeeD in its entirety, he just couldn't have. There was no way a single country, no matter how powerful could completely crush all three Gardens. And the tense Leonhart had used, past tense, as if the unthinkable deed were already done.

As if in answer to his turbulent thoughts, Leonhart smirked in that extra-annoying way he had, the one that always made Seifer want to smash it off his rival's too-pretty face with Hyperion. "The orders have already been distributed and Galbadia Garden has already been cleansed. In 4 hours time, missiles will be fired at Trabia, followed by missiles aimed at Balamb 6 hours after that, wiping them both off the map. It's already far too late for you to save the Gardens."

Seifer couldn't restrain his fury that his rival could so callously destroy his home and way of life without second thought. How dare Leonhart so blithely destroy the Gardens, and how dare he talk so casually about eliminating SeeD. _He'd_ passed the exams on his first try, and had never felt the agony of coming so close to a goal, and having it ripped away from his grasping hands. He couldn't think, could barely breathe past the grief and fury that crowded his brain. Distantly, past the loud roaring in his ears, he could hear someone shouting at Leonhart, using the foulest expressions he had ever heard. It wasn't until the white noise diminished somewhat and he could feel the rawness in his throat, did he realize that the one shouting was himself.

Throughout all the torrent of verbal abuse, Leonhart stayed as cool as ever, only briefly narrowing his eyes in irritation at the noise level. That pissed Seifer off even further, driving his fury to the point where he could no longer feel the ache in his chest. Midway through his rant, Leonhart turned around and left the cell, leaving Seifer alone. After a few more minutes of shouting at the closed door, the shouts tapered off into hot, shameful tears that burned past his eyelids. Balamb Garden was the only home he'd ever known. Hyne's fucking balls, when he'd canceled the contract with Rinoa, citing SeeD emergency, he hadn't known just how accurate he had been. Even if he could get out of this cell, he wouldn't have a hope to Hyne of getting the warning out in time.

Owari

Till chapter 3

For all of you yaoi fangirls reading this in the hopes of something steamy happening between Seifer and Squall at D-District, remember who was the interrogator in this fic, and the two boys we are talking about. It's my opinion, that unless they had a previous relationship going on, they wouldn't start fucking in a prison cell. Come on, these are two boys who are vary accomplished at lying to themselves about their feelings. They just aren't the type to randomly fall each other and start going at it. Not to mention that it's Squall who's asking the questions. Seifer might start something like that, but as you recall, Seifer's the one trussed up in this story.

Personally, I think Squall is a scarier knight than Seifer ever was. Think about it. Seifer's ego is a large part of who he is, and because of that, blocked most of Ultimecia's influence. Squall on the other hand, has folded completely, because She is playing the "I will not leave you" card, Squall's own obsessive nature plays right into Her hands. And on an unrelated note, I believe that for at least part of the game, most notably the fight on the parade float, Seifer threw his fight with Squall. Squall is not returning the favor.

Wow, I can't believe how much easier writing down scene ideas makes writing. I have the whole story diagramed out, and it looks like this story is going to be at least 9 FREAKING CHAPTERS LONG!!!! I'm really getting into this story, even more than my Transformers story. Maybe the reason is that Seifer is such an easy character to write….possibilities.


	3. Chapter 3

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 3

//\\

As soon as they had all left D-District Prison behind, Seifer tried to give into the exhaustion that plagued him. After the ordeal of torture, the utter shock of Leonhart's bombshell, and the energy needed to escape a maximum security prison even with Irvine's assistance (Rinoa had apparently found the Cowboy after the parade and hired him to get the rest of them out of Galbadia's famed prison), had almost been more than he could spare. Thankfully, or unthankfully he couldn't decide which, he didn't have to drive, Fujin had one of the army-issue ATV's they had commandeered, Tilmitt had the other one, so that was one less thing he had to distract him. No matter how he tried to cudgel his mind into thinking of other matters, he couldn't help but ponder what his rival had told him. Almost morbidly, he found himself calculating just how long Trabia and Balamb Gardens had left, before the expected missiles hit. Estimating the distances between the Gardens and Galbadia's missile storage base, and the time it would take long range missiles to cover those distances, adding that to the time that had already elapsed on his miraculously unconfiscated watch told him that Trabia was due to be destroyed in less than 8 hours. There was no way to stop the launch, they had miles to go before they could get to the base at their present speed, and the launch was due to happen in a mere half hour. Balamb had more time, with nearly 25 hours before total destruction, due to both its later launch time and farther distance from Galbadia.

He hadn't told his traveling companions about what Squall had revealed to him, Chicken-wuss and Tilmitt would no doubt get all heroic when there was nothing to be done. Add that to what Trepe would say…burr. It didn't merit thinking about. He knew he couldn't hide it forever, everyone in the cars had been through SeeD training, and could ID various weapons systems in their sleep.

There, right on cue. The unmistakeable trail of a full flight of long range missiles arched up in the sky toward Trabia. In the front of their small convoy, Tilmitt jammed on the breaks in alarm, halting their progress. Everyone plied out of the vehicles, all eyes tracking the trails. Tilmitt was the one that voiced what they were all thinking in an unprofessionally panicked voice. "It's heading to Trabia!!! Seifer, do something!!!"

"I'm flattered that you're putting so much trust in my abilities," Seifer said dryly, "but even Hyne Himself couldn't stop those missiles from reaching their target now. Just like we won't be able to stop those missiles aimed at Balamb Garden." Too late to prevent the words from exiting his mouth, he cringed, expecting a shower of scorn for not revealing his information sooner.

"Seifer," Trepe said slowly, "Are you saying that you knew that this would happen? And that there will be another attack on Balamb Garden?"

Seifer's instincts screamed that the best defense was offence. All the same, there were just some things that you simply couldn't be flippant about. "Yeah, I knew." he said softly. " Leonhart was kind enough to tell me that Sorceress fucking Edea wants to eliminate SeeD completely." He looked Kinneas dead in the eye. "He said that Galbadia Garden had already been fucking _cleansed_, as if it had been infested or some other such shit." The sharpshooter closed his eyes as if in pain. Tilmitt was nearly starting to hyperventilate, hands near her mouth as if she were about to cry. "He also told me that first Trabia, then Balamb Gardens would be destroyed by missiles. Trabia should be completely gone in about 7 hours. Balamb has just over 24 more hours to live."

Tilmitt let out a small sob, prompting Trepe to put a comforting arm around the smaller girl. Chicken-wuss looked scared, but defiant. "We've got to stop them!"

"Didn't you just hear me, idiot, that there's nothing we can do for Trabia now?" Seifer considered it part of his duty to shoot down stupid noble ideas before they did any damage.

"No, I got that, but we can still stop the launch aimed for Balamb! Seifer, did Squall share when the next launch will be?"At Seifer's slow nod, the tattooed blond punched the air in victory. "Well, when will it be?"

"6 hours. But may I remind you that with these pieces of crap," here he kicked the undercarriage of one of the ATV's to indicate what he was talking about, "it will take at almost that just to get there, even going top speed. We can't spare the time if we want to get to Garden and start the evacuation. "

"I'll take a party to the base and try and stop the launch from there, while the rest head to Garden," Tilmitt volunteered, nearly vibrating with the urge to do _something_ to save her new home, even though there was nothing she could do to save her old one. Seifer thought it over. It actually made sense. Now, who to send….

"Fujin, take Chicken-wuss and go with Tilmitt. You're all short-range fighters, you should be able to sneak around and still fight effectively inside the missile base, well, provided that the Chicken keeps his mouth shut. Do what you can to prevent the launch, then make your way back to Garden the best you can. The rest of us will head straight back to Garden, and evacuate just in case you're unsuccessful. Now scram!"

//\\

It was with complete disbelief that Quistis Trepe took in her first view of her home when she returned. Cadets were running everywhere, fully armed and ready for battle. Not only that, but all the internal defenses were raised and ready, up to and including barricades on important areas, gathering and hoarding supplies, and other actions reminiscent of a siege. The incoming missile threat was definitely _not_ what had spurred Garden to this level of activity, given that the only applicable protocol in that situation was evacuation. _This_, this was something else, something they didn't have time to concentrate on. Quistis didn't need to see Seifer's face to know that his glare, already burning, had reached incendiary levels.

On one level, Quistis would have sympathized with the blond gunblader, if she didn't already know that Seifer responded to sympathy with scorn. Nothing seemed to be going right for her old student. Failing the exam, going to Timber to help out the team assigned there, only to watch helplessly as Squall was reportedly taken over by the Sorceress. Next, the disaster of the parade mission, followed by what must have been agonizing torture that had forced the proud blond to actually scream so loudly that it had been clearly audible through several floors, coupled with the guilt from not being able to save Galbadia and Trabia Gardens, that had been thoughtlessly dumped on the failed SeeD's shoulders. Not to mention, having to leave a member of his posse behind to hopefully disrupt the launch aimed at Balamb. After all that, Quistis was almost surprised that Seifer wasn't using Hyperion to carve up anything that moved.

Still glaring, Seifer rapped out orders. "Ok, we're going to split up. Raijin, go round up whoever you can find and start the evacuation. Check all the trouble spots, the places kiddies like to hole up, and the dorms. Roust them out of their beds if you have to, and find out what the fuck's going on in the place while you're at it. Trepe, take Kinneas and do the same with the classrooms and faculty offices. He won't know his way around here unless he's actually been here before, which I doubt, so he'll need a guide, and his pea-shooter should help in 'encouraging' folks to cease and desist."

Raijin was in motion as soon as Seifer finished speaking. Quistis felt the urge to do the same, but forced herself to stop and ask a question. "And what will you be doing?" Hyne, why was it suddenly so hard to question Seifer, she hadn't had a problem doing so only a week ago!

Seifer's smirk was full of sharp teeth. "I, Trepe," he purred, "will find the Old Fart, give the report, and 'respectfully' ask him to order an official evacuation. Is that too hard to understand?"

She felt herself flushing a dull red. It was the obvious course of action, and one she should have thought up herself. To avoid answering, she hurried into the Lobby, Irvine at her heels. Before she could take ten steps into the massive interior, she was stopped by a red and white clad faculty member, who asked bluntly, "Are you for Garden master NORG, or Headmaster Cid?"

She stared blankly at the faceless mask, wondering what on earth he/she meant. The Garden master handled Garden's long term financial work, while the Headmaster held day-to-day operations, including SeeD assignments. There was no reason why loyalty to one could not also mean loyalty to the other as the two were supposed to work in concert. Unless….

She took too long to answer. With a shrill cry, "They are Cid's followers!" the faculty member summoned a couple of cadets before running off, the cadets attacking the two SeeDs without hesitation. Quistis managed to hit one with a Sleep spell; another was given a love tap from the stock of Irvine's shotgun, while the third was knocked out with the blunt edge of Hyperion. Looking up into Seifer's infuriated face; Quistis couldn't help cowering a bit in the presence of such obvious fury, before the blond angrily bit off, "Just our luck to walk right into a fucking coup. Trepe, I changed my mind: you're coming with me. I don't trust myself to keep from killing these kids with how pissed off I am." He nudged an unconscious form with his boot.

Watching the other blond storm away, Quistis was struck by the fact that she, Irvine, and Seifer were not that much older, age wise, then the cadets they had just put down. It was a funny thought, thinking that at one time it could have been her easily put down for attacking an upper classman or SeeD. It was even weirder thinking that about Seifer. He had been sparring with Squall for so long and with such skill, that it was hard to remember a time when he hadn't been one of the absolute best. Seifer still held the record for shortest time in a weapons class; he'd outstripped the level of his Instructor within two years of picking up his first gunblade. The only other cadet in the history of Garden to come close to that record; Squall.

It took forever to find the Headmaster, Seifer grumbling all the while under his breath that they were running out of time. By the time they had found him, there was only an hour and a half left before the missiles were scheduled to arrive. If they failed to come, that would mean Selphie, Fujin and Zell had succeeded and everything would be fine. But if they did, that was several hundred people to get out in an orderly fashion in a short amount of time.

There was no time to give the report. Instead, Headmaster assigned Seifer, herself, and Irvine to investigate Garden's lower levels apparently in search of a fabled ability built into every Garden that was currently dormant: the ability to fly. Seifer was loud in his skepticism, but the Headmaster was adamant. Seifer was only pacified when given an access card that gave access to the lower levels, someplace he had always wanted to go, but had remained off limits, even with his Disciplinary Committee clearance.

As soon as the three of them disembarked from the elevator, they were surrounded by several of the Garden master's agents in all of their red and white masked glory. Quistis tightened her hand on Save-the-Queen, ready to fight. So far, the garden faculty hadn't attacked them directly, but they had directly induced at least 20 cadets to attack them, and from the white-knuckled grips on both Hyperion and the shotgun the Galbadian called Exeter, the boys felt the same as she did. A few quick hand-signals told the boys to let her try and talk their way out of this mess; they didn't have time for a fight. They agreed, but before she could open her mouth, their captors beat her to it.

"The Garden master awaits your report…"

//\\

"….and that is the situation we left in Galbadia." Bored out of his skull, Seifer listened to Trepe wrap up the report of the disaster they had left behind in Galbadia to the gelatinous mass of flesh that had turned out to be Balamb Garden's financial broker, and Garden master NORG. It just figured, Seifer thought with heavy irony, that the guy who essentially owned 1/3 of the world's most elite fighting force, the fittest people on the planet, was so out of shape that he couldn't move from his spot, and lived in a machine shell that served as home, office, and protection all in one, and relied on strangely-dressed flunkies to enforce it's rule. _It's _rule, because if NORG was human, than Hyperion was a club.

"…must throw ourselves upon Her mercy…"What. The. Holy. _Fuck_? Mentally, Seifer mentally rewound the exchange since Trepe finished the report. Apparently, NORG had begun a rant to the point that he had not authorized the mission against the Sorceress, that it was all the Headmaster's fault in the first place that the Sorceress wanted revenge, and in hopes of derailing Her wrath and saving Garden, the lives of those who participated in the mission would be sacrificed in to the Bloodthirsty Bitch Herself. Fat fucking chance Seifer would allow _that_ to happen.

"With _all due respect_, Garden master," Seifer broke in, "but that's plain fucking _stupid_. First of all," and he allowed himself to glare at the _thing_ that controlled Garden, "She's already massacred the populations of two Gardens, including Trabia Garden, who had no involvement with the mission whatsoever. Secondly, it's too fucking late to hand over our heads in hopes of none-existent mercy. Missiles from Galbadia are already on their way. Thirdly, She has some plan that She needs SeeD out of the way for, and whatever it is, is so big that She needs someone of Leonhart's skill to help Her accomplish it, _that's_ been obvious since Timber!"

There was a beat of complete silence, during which Trepe glared daggers at Seifer for his blatant disrespect for what was essentially the highest power in Garden. Even Kinneas was looking at the blond gunblader strangely. Seifer didn't give a _shit_ as to what they thought of his attitude. His attention was elsewhere, on the tell-tale quivering of rage clearly visible on NORG's swollen body. Abruptly, the lid of the machine the Garden master lived in slammed shut, bringing obvious weapons systems on line. Seifer heard the cocking of Exeter at exactly the same instant Hyperion was in his hand, followed an instant later by the sound of Trepe unfurling her whip. It was time to dance.

For a moment, Seifer forgot it all: forgot the immediate danger to Garden, forgot that Fujin was somewhere in Galbadia or dead, forgot that Leonhart was still under the Sorceress's thumb, he forgot it all to focus on the battle at hand. This looked to be his first decent fight since facing Leonhart at the parade and he meant to enjoy it.

He danced around Kinneas's shots and Trepe's whip, weaving a deadly pattern of magic and the perfection of Hyperion's edge. Nothing could stand such a deadly assault, certainly not robotic shells clearly designed first for comfort, not for combat.

The lid to the pathetic container popped open with a squeal of tortured hydraulics as the Garden master's mobile platform ceased to function. The deposed hardly had time to whine, something about "…this is MY Garden…" before Hyperion's edge cut the fat throat.

The three of them simply stood there a minute, catching their breath, and coming to terms with the end of an era. Headmaster Cid Kramer might have developed the concept of SeeD, but it was only due to Garden master NORG that the idea had become reality.

Second wind caught; the three of them raced off.

//\\

Selphie breathed a sigh of relief that they were allowed entrance to the missile base after only a token glance at stolen uniforms. "Who has the time until launch?" she asked, inwardly making a face the gross uniform that was at least a full size too big. It really sucked to be so short. Well, at least her companions weren't that much taller, though Fujin had by some miracle procured a uniform in her exact size. Some people had all the luck.

"I do, 45 minutes to go. Man, Seifer nailed the travel time exactly." Zell informed her.

"SURPRISED?" was the third member of their party's contribution.

Zell jumped at Fujin's proximity. Selphie guessed that the blond hadn't got over the strangling attempt in prison, despite the long ride trapped in the same vehicle as each other. Not that Zell hadn't deserved it; Selphie didn't know Fujin that well, she hadn't been at Balamb long enough to pick the one-eyed girl out of a crowd, despite the distinctive appearance. Still, she seemed utterly loyal to Seifer, jerk that he was. Thankfully they were spared a repeat performance, as Zell decided that holding his tongue might be the better part of valor.

Putting the drama between her new friends aside, Selphie concentrated on the task at hand. Leading the way, she cast her mind back to her ballistics classes at Trabia (oh Hyne, _Trabia_), trying to recall as much as she could about long range missiles, how they launched and functioned. If she recalled correctly…

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a door, requesting the use of an ID card to verify access. She panicked, they didn't have a card, they wouldn't be able to stop the missiles, they would get caught and put back in prison, and then Zell would insult Seifer again, and Fujin would really kill him this time, and-and-

"Selphie! Breathe. Chill out girl." Selphie was pulled out of her doom scenarios by Zell's comforting hand on her shoulder. "We've got a card. Fujin found one in the car. Look, it works." True enough, the card reader flashed green: access granted. At the card reader, Fujin gave her a Look for panicking so badly, one that put new steel into Selphie's spine. They would do this.

As they navigated the twisty corridors and catwalks of the base, they heard the 30-minute launch warning, and had to fight to keep themselves from quickening their steps beyond the jog-trot used by the other base personnel as they went about their duties. All of them did as much damage as they could get away with without compromising their presence. But it wasn't enough, all the critical systems were under too heavy guard, they'd never get even close enough to do anything significant.

A lucky break came when Selphie was ordered to do a maintenance check on the central circuits. Unsure how to work any of the systems in the control room she was escorted to, she trashed as many of the controls as she could, hoping one of them would be tied to something critical enough to stop the launch. It wasn't. In desperation, running out of time before she was discovered, she happened upon the self-destruct system, one of the few that had escaped her earlier tampering. Hurriedly she set it, setting the time as close as she dared. Finding Fujin and Zell nearly, easily holding off a group of soldiers who had discovered them, she dragged them away, telling them as they ran for the exit what she had done.

It was almost Launch time, and there were only 3 minutes left to the timer Selphie had set when they reached the parking lot, only to discover that the gates were sealed for launch, and guard robots were waiting for them. Defeating them didn't take much of an effort, but it did eat up time. By the time the last robot lay twitching in its death throes; Selphie discovered that her estimate of the Launch time had been slightly off. The missiles fired, arching into the sky on the long trip to Balamb Garden.

Defeated, Selphie didn't register the beginning of the self- destruct sequence, only a minute after Launch. She didn't notice Fujin dragging both her and Zell into shelter from the flying debris behind their vehicle. She'd failed; this was the second task she'd failed as a SeeD, third if she counted what had happened in Timber. Both Trabia and Balamb Gardens would be destroyed, and there was nothing she could do about it. Why had they passed her? And why oh why had she been so impatient to take the exam that she'd put in for the transfer to Balamb, rather than waiting for Trabia's next SeeD exam? At least then she could have died with all her friends….

A hard slap hit her face, bringing her out of the trance she had entered at the sight of the missiles heading toward her new home, leaving her blinking up at Fujin's furious red eye. "NOT DEAD. GET OUT. RETURN."

"There's nothing we can do!" Zell burst out, rubbing his impressive new shiner gingerly. Apparently Fujin had decided to wake him in a considerably less gentle manner than she had Selphie. "Seifer sent us here to die, Garden's gone and we're trapped!"

Fujin gave him another black eye to match the one he had already. "NOT DEAD YET. SEIFER, TRUST. FIND GARDEN, SURVIVORS. GO!"

As Fujin pushed and bullied the two of them towards some semblance of an exit, Selphie was forced to re-evaluate Fujin's utter devotion to Seifer. In the prison, the one-eyed girl had proved that she was willing to kill for him, now Selphie was forced to see that killing for Seifer was small change. Fujin was willing to not only die for the blond, but to live for him, even when all seemed lost. That made Selphie feel just a tiny bit ashamed, ashamed that she had given up so quickly, ashamed that she had lost hope when Fujin stayed strong. _She_ was supposed to be the happy one, the one that cheered people up. And then all thought was lost as the missile base exploded in a sea of fire.

//\\

After nearly an hour of finding their way through the confusing maze of catwalks and corridors that made up Garden's underbelly, the three of them came to what had to be what the Old Fart had been referring to when he'd sent them on this mad quest. It was a console, covered in dust from Hyne knows how many years, along with at least that many cobwebs. Using the hem of his coat, Seifer wiped away the worst of the grime, enough that he felt like he could touch the thing without hurling the remains of the pathetic food he'd bought on the train they'd hijacked several hours ago. And froze. He didn't know how to work the dammed thing.

"Do either of you two have the slightest idea of how this thing works? Because I'm open to suggestions'." He didn't get a reply. Figures. Frustrated, he banged several buttons randomly, not expecting any results. Hyne's balls; who knew if the fly function still was working after being left alone for forever. That's why it completely surprised him when the whole platform they were standing on shuddered abruptly. Glancing up, he could see that the weird column in the center of the large room was sparking suddenly, and moving as if it were a mound of gears instead of a structural support. After a few more testing shakes, the panels glowed to life with green energy, and the platform moved upward, picking up speed as it went.

When the platform finally slowed and stopped Seifer was astonished to find that they were in the Headmaster's office, near the top of the sunroom windows. It had taken seemingly forever to get from there to Garden's underbelly, now the trip only took a few minutes. There was no time to appreciate the view given that Garden wasn't finished unveiling its surprises yet. As Seifer watched, the clocklike ring that had a counterpart above every Garden, abruptly began spinning, and began to drop over the structure like a child's hoop around a pole.

Despite the distracting sight and accompanying light show, Seifer paid instant attention to Kinneas's warning that the missiles were on final approach. Turning his head to where the sniper was looking, Seifer blessed Kinneas's training that allowed him to pick out the several deceptively small objects that were moving toward Garden at high speed, despite the sudden cloud of dust taller than Garden caused by the ring settling into place below the facility. Heart stuck in his throat, Seifer watched as the missiles angled in to strike, just as Garden began to move. Seifer instinctively ducked as missiles streamed out the window, just a hair too slow to hit Garden. They struck the abused earth, sending up yet another massive cloud of dust that Garden sailed out of, completely unscathed.

Seifer sagged briefly, glad that Garden was safe. He felt drained again, as if he were a puppet that had cut its strings. He deliberately ignored the way Trepe leaned on a window, or Kinneas had sunk to his knees, and knew that they were doing the same for him. They all straightened up when an unnoticed section of the floor dropped away, and then rose again with the Old Man, well; this was his office they were in. He looked just as exhausted as the SeeDs, drained by the adrenaline rush of just escaped destruction. "Good work, everyone. I'm glad you found it."

"You were doubting us, Old Man?" if Seifer's smirk had lost just a hair of its usual bite, Cid let it pass.

"If I was, you would have proved me wrong. Take a break. Get some rest. Goodness knows, you look like you need it."

Seifer wasn't prepared to argue that. Tossing off a lazy salute, he led Trepe and Kinneas down the lift, unsurprised that it ended in the Headmaster's office. They had barely reached the Lobby though, when Xu came running after them. "the Headmaster wants you back on the Bridge at the double."

When Seifer returned to the bridge or whatever it was called, the Headmaster was panicking, even though it had only been a few minutes since Seifer had left. "the controls aren't responding! If we stay on our present course, we'll crash into the town of Balamb! Seifer, you managed to start this thing, do you know what to do?"

"How should I know, it's not as if this thing came with an instruction manual!"

"Whatever you do," Trepe interrupted, do it quick. Balamb's just ahead."

"Shit." Seifer swore. In a fit of irritation he banged the panel, hitting several buttons at once. Hey, randomly hitting buttons had worked the last time he'd had to use the thing. He did it a few more times, more out of temper than design. Amazingly, it worked, turning Garden just enough that it moved just to the left of Balamb, close enough to send strong winds over the small town, but not to close which would result in damaged buildings, heavy injuries, and perhaps some fatalities. Of Chicken-wuss was still alive, he'd never forgive Seifer if his precious mother was hurt because of Garden. Of course, because Hyne had a fabulous sense of humor, that turn resulted in Garden landing in the straight, and proving that not only could the facility fly, but it could float as well.

This time, when they were dismissed, Garden was truly safe from any emergencies, so no summons disrupted Seifer as he found his dorm. The room next door was empty, given that Leonhart had been moved to new quarters when he passed. Setting Hyperion in its case, tugging off his boots and dropping his coat on the floor, Seifer collapsed on his bed. Hyne's balls, he was tired. And he had curfew patrol later as well, wouldn't do for all the little kiddies to believe that all the excitement around Garden meant that they could stay up past lights out. He just needed a little nap. Just a second to..rest…his ….eyes……..

//\\

It was late, well after his usual curfew patrols, when Seifer found his way onto the new Bridge again. He wasn't there for any real reason; just that it seemed to be the best spot to brood in peace after the excitement of the day. And yes, he was brooding, even though brooding was more Leonhart's territory then his own.

He let his eyes unfocus as he stared out over the water. Garden was drifting: no one knew where they would end up, or how long it would take to get there. There wasn't much more that anyone could do, given that no one knew how to control the facility. Somehow, Seifer had managed to make it do what he wanted to, but that had been by luck, not design. He never liked to trust in luck. Trusting in luck was a guaranteed setup for failure, because if you relied on something as unpredictable as luck, then it was only a matter of time before that luck ran out.

His eyes found the horizon again, attracted by a faint sheen of silver from the nearly full moon on the waves. Fujin. Once Seifer had come down from the adrenaline high from the missile threat and near miss, his thoughts had immediately turned to the worst regarding his missing silver haired lieutenant. Fujin would have done anything to accomplish her mission if he was the one that set her to it. Because the missiles had arrived, exactly when he'd predicted their arrival, meant that something had happened to the team he'd sent to the missile base. Should he have sent a different grouping? He hadn't been up to date on Tilmitt's stats, given that she'd transferred to Balamb the day of the exam, and between him being in his own brig for his conduct during the exam and her own early deployment, he hadn't had any time to become familiar with it. It wasn't as if he had the time to pull personnel files while escaping.

Besides, Tilmitt had volunteered to do it, and given that she'd been about to cry not 5 minutes before hand, he'd thought it would be for the best if she got her way, at least for now. He hated to see a woman cry, his stupid chivalrous nature that made things so much more difficult for him. He'd partly picked the team due to ability in close-quarter fighting, not to mention that they all were slender and flexible to get in and out of tight places with more ease than taller people. He forced a rueful chuckle, thinking that Fujin would give him one of those lethal kicks to the shin if he told her _that_.

Shit, he nearly felt naked without Fujin at his back. Not that he harbored any romantic feelings for her, Hyne's balls, what a nightmare to even contemplate. If anyone carried a torch for her, it was the other member of his posse. Raijin, who volunteered to take Fujin's usual rounds tonight in addition to his own, was the one who harbored wet dreams of his silver-haired spitfire. Not that Seifer would be divulging that information anytime soon. Both of his posse would kill him, and that would leave Raijin alone to the un-tender mercies of the object of his affections. And then Fujin would go on a rampage, killing everyone in Garden who knew. Blood was _so_ hard to clean up. He should know, he'd lost count of the number of trench coats he'd lost to bloodstains from all the times he and Leonhart had bled on each other. A finger absently touched his new scar, smiling slightly. No, this hadn't come from the only time he and Leonhart had cut each other up, but it was the first time they had left scars that other people could see. He had a host of scars from his rival that were neatly hidden under his clothes.

He tensed as someone came up behind him. Shit, he'd thought he'd be alone up here, given that not just anyone had access to either the Headmaster's office, or the Bridge. A subtle glance behind him, told him that his uninvited guest was the one person he couldn't get rid of. Headmaster Cid, the Old Fart himself, had more right to be there than Seifer did. He was formulating possible conversation openers that would hopefully result in being left alone, and where he was, when the older man spoke first. "It's a nice night."

Seifer fought the urge to scoff. "That's such news that you couldn't wait to tell me later? Or wait, you're just attempting to get me to lower my guard with idle chitchat. We both know that won't work."

The Headmaster simply sighed. "It's a shame that you can't be more trusting, Seifer."

"Save it, Old Man. Just spit out what you wanted to say to me."

Cid was silent for such a long moment, that Seifer actually turned to look at him. With the moon outlining his body and shinning into his hair, he looked like an old, old man. He looked far too old to be leading Garden to war. War; that had been declared by a Sorceress with world-domination goals. It wasn't fair, but Seifer well knew that fair had nothing to do with real life.

"Quistis said that you were tortured in Galbadia."

"Yeah, by Puberty-Boy himself. I knew his interrogation scores were high, but knowing the numbers just don't compare to having it practiced on yourself, not by a long shot. And the worst thing was, he only asked me one question, but it was an answer I didn't know. Hyne's balls, _he _ didn't know the answer and he was the one who passed the exam- what?" the Old Fart's sudden, sharp stare was more intimidating than Seifer would admit, after being used to the 'kindly old uncle' persona that the Headmaster preferred to project to the world.

"What was the question?"

"Some stupid shit about the true purpose of SeeD. I'd of thought that you'd have shared it him and the other graduates when they passed, or you did and Sorceress Edea, her Evil Bitchiness simply didn't accept that answer-hey!"

Seifer found himself pressed against a rail, a surprisingly strong hand at his neck in a chokehold. _ "_Don't call her that. You have no idea how she used to be like."

Digging a finger into the correct tendon, Seifer pried the hand off his throat. "I call it like I see it, unless I get other information. How about you tell me the answer to the question I nearly died not knowing, and I'll refrain from calling her that again-"At the hard stare, he amended his words, "ok, I'll refrain from insulting her the best I can, ok?"

A quiet sigh. "Edea Kramer was my wife. She'd been a Sorceress since the age of 5, something that I knew full well when I married her. We used to run an orphanage together on the Centra peninsula." A head shake. "And she should already know the answer to the question, because she's the one who came up with it."

At Seifer's confused look, Cid explained. "I know that I've been given the credit for founding SeeD, but in truth the credit belongs to my wife. Many years ago, she came to me with an idea for founding an elite force to protect the world form Sorceresses who had lost control of their power and tried to take over the world. "

"And you just went trotting off to do what she said like a good little boy? What did she do, withhold sex or something until you agreed?"

Cid blushed. "Something like that. The only problem with that dream, is that a training facility for elite fighters needed money for a place to live and train in, food to eat, and to pay for weapons and other expenses. Money that I didn't have. At first I traveled around, raising funds any way I could, until I encountered NORG. He was interested in the dream, enough that he promised to put up enough capital to get Garden going. However, even NORG couldn't continue to fund Garden indefinitely, so SeeDs began to be used as mercenaries to raise funds. It worked better than any of us could have dreamed, but the more missions SeeDs went on, the farther away from their true purpose they became."

"And why didn't you tell Leonhart any of this? 'cause I just _so fascinated_."

"The reason that I didn't tell Squall when he graduated, is that over the years NORG had been pushing for total control of Garden, and foolish man that I am, I let it go to the point where his subordinates could interrupt me and take over for me in my own office without fear of the consequences. I meant to tell Squall and the others, but I was beaten to the punch as it were." A firm head shake. "But I'm digressing. There is something else that I wanted to discuss with you."

Seifer stiffened. What did the Old Man want to tell him now? Wait-"Have you heard from Tilmitt, Chicken-wuss and Fujin?"

"Sadly, I haven't, just some unconfirmed reports of the complete destruction of the missile storage and launch facility. But that isn't what I wanted to tell you." A beat of silence. "Based on your performance in the field since Timber; and your actions here at Garden today, I'm overturning your exam results. Welcome to SeeD."

Seifer struggled for words. "This had better not be a joke, because I'm not in a laughing mood."

"Just as well I'm not joking then."

"The fuck you aren't." Seifer ran a hand over his short hair, blowing the breath from his cheeks. At last he asked, "Why? Why now? Why not in the exam?"

"Truthfully, I've wanted to pass you since the first time you took the exam." was the reply. "Unfortunately, due to my known soft spot for you, my opinion of your results was downplayed. It didn't help that you consistently took antagonizing your superiors to something of an art form."

"Wasn't my fault they were stupid assholes with their heads so far up their asses that they could see daylight. Besides, my squad always made a difference in the battle, even if everyone was too dense to get why."

"And that is exactly why you are needed in SeeD. Yes, Garden does prize those who can follow orders and work in a group. But we also need leaders, people who can look beyond the orders and do what needs to be done. It does no good for well trained troops to sit all day doing nothing because no one is telling them what to do, when an attack is happening just a little ways away. We need people who can think and plan, to adapt to changing conditions and do what needs to be done, even if they don't have the orders."

"If I'm so Hyne-dammed useful, why didn't you point that out on my first exam results and pass me then?"

"Because no one could tell for certain if your actions were motivated by personal glory or real strategic sense. Not to mention, they feared that you were too-wrapped up in yourself to pay any attention to the well-being of your squad. You've only recently proved that wrong."

What? Some of Seifer's confusion must have shown on his face because Cid elaborated. "I believe that earlier today you were faced by several supporters of NORG in his attempted coup. I heard from no less than Quistis Trepe herself, that when you were faced by those cadets, not only did you not kill them, but you enlisted her help in making sure you did not kill or injure them past them past the point that a Cure or two couldn't fix." The older man smiled. "Quistis may not be an Instructor anymore, but her opinion still respected. I believe that it's because she had the most success in keeping control of the two strongest wills ever to darken Garden's doors."

Unable to process the idea of Trepe actually _praising_ him and going so far as recommending him for SeeD, Seifer borrowed a page from his rival's book and muttered "whatever." Why the fuck was he protesting anyway? He'd made SeeD, showing up all those who'd thought he'd never make it. Why did he feel so hollow?

He didn't notice when Cid made his excuses and left Seifer to his thoughts. Why did the accomplishment of making SeeD make him feel so depressed? He'd wanted to be SeeD from when he first came to Garden. Had worked so hard to accomplish it, had endured failure after failure and hadn't let it touch the dream. So why, finally attaining it, did he feel so empty? Then he realized. He wanted to share the accomplishment with his posse, wanted to hear Raijin's cheering and enduring back-breaking thumps on the back in celebration, wanted to see Fujin's ultra rare, delighted, tiny smile, the one that made her eye sparkle like a ruby. He wanted Leonhart there, so he could rub his accomplishment in his rival's face, to see that rare, faint glimmer of respect in the other boy's stormy eyes. But Raijin was on patrol, Fujin was missing. And Leonhart…., was the enemy.

Owari

Till chapter 4

My fingers have friction burns!! I can't believe that this chapter came out so fast! Selphie's scene came out all in one piece, as did most of Seifer's final scene. Don't go expecting this chapter to set any sort of timetable, because I don't know if I can manage it.

Seifer's missing Leonhart, feels something's missing in his promotion to have his rival not be there. Poor Seifer. :wibbles: no posse, no rival, not even a chicken to torment, what are you going to do? Torment Quistis and Irvine, of course. Does anyone get that I'm building up Irvine as a verbal sparring partner for Seifer. My idea of the other major characters is in order that Seifer will be able to relay on them is : Fujin, Irvine, Raijin, Quistis, Selphie, and Zell. Of course Squall isn't on there, because currently he's playing Boy Toy to an insane Sorceress. :shakes head to drive out mental images:

The reason I'm having Cid promote Seifer? Just think of how many times Squall wastes long moments with Cid waiting for orders, even during critical emergancies. Squall is not a leader by nature. He was thrust into the leadership position by force, not by choice. Seifer on the other hand, is a natural leader, possessing a mind that can do his own assessments of a situation, and go or send people to where he or they are most needed. Hence, his repeated failing of exams, because I think the field exam is as much about following orders as it is about combat skills.

Sorry if I'm rambling, but it's getting late, and I'm giddy that chapter 3 almost wrote itself.

Till the next chapter!!


	4. Chapter 4

Icicle knight Fiery SeeD

Chapter 4

//\\

Garden had been drifting a full week before it finally came to land, and Seifer was not the only one whose temper was near the breaking point. There was still no word from Fujin, Chicken-wuss, and Tilmitt, though all indications pointed to them as dead. Normally, Seifer would never have accepted such vague calculations, given that Garden Intelligence was normally very precise and accurate. Recently however, the destruction of Trabia Garden coupled with the persecution suffered by several Garden agents stationed in Galbadia, had caused the majority of key players in Garden's various networks to go underground to avoid the Sorceress's attention.

Which meant that cabin fever was not his only reason for unleashing holy hell on holographic monsters in the Training Center. Not only was he bored, but he was slowly going insane with worry over what had happened to the team he'd sent out. Frankly, he had a new appreciation of what it meant for the Headmaster sending SeeD squads into the field.

But despite all that worry and anxiety, despite Cid's quiet and private statement that Garden was essentially at war with the Sorceress, life at Garden continued as normal; well, as normal as it could b e when aboard a floating training facility that was out of control. Even the addition of Kinneas didn't arouse much of a stir, even given the fact that Kinneas had never taken the SeeD exam, he was treated as if he were any other transfer student, and despite the obvious gaps in his paperwork, a given since he was the only assumed survivor of his Garden. It had made the paperwork itself a bit tricky, as there were no signatures from his old headmaster and Garden master, or his primary Instructor, but the sniper fit in with the cafeteria crowd as if he'd always been there.

Seifer remembered being surprised that Kinneas had never taken the exam: given the sharpshooter's obvious skills he would have thought that he would have been pushed along the fast track to SeeD. But the Galbadian had some odd hang-ups about magic, and a positive phobia around Junctioning. He'd made up for it as much as he could with his skill with his gun, but no purely physical skills could match the endurance boost and reaction enhancement that Junctioning gave, to say nothing of the spells that you could gather and use, and numerous abilities that came with different GF's. Some SeeDs regarded Junctioning on the same level as weapon maintenance, something that was such a no brainer that it regarded very little thought. He knew that Trepe had actually sat down with the Cowboy, trying to get to the heart of the sniper's refusal to even let a GF near him, without much success.

Everything, all the little dramas and concerns of Garden came to a crashing halt as Garden came to land. Everyone knew exactly when it happened, could pinpoint the exact instance when they felt the grinding jar as the facility slammed heavily into the docks of wherever the fuck they had come to land, damaging both the docks and the Quad quite extensively. Seifer happened to be nearby when it happened, and looking over the damage could only curse. While he thought the damage could be repaired, it was above the level that anyone in Garden was qualified to repair.

A runner came up to Seifer, with orders from the Old Fart to take a squad and go into the nearby town in hopes of finding someone or some ones who could fix Garden, and possibly give those at Garden a hint or two in the steering of their own facility. Given the shitty state of the docks Seifer rather doubted that he would find anyone, but hey, orders were orders. Not to mention, it beat going insane from boredom aboard Garden. He'd never been one for Triple Triad, which was apparently all the rage among Cadets, SeeDs and Instructors alike, but he found to be completely moronic.

It had been a simple matter to grab Trepe and Kinneas (he'd wanted to bring Raijin, but the muscle of his posse had been nowhere to be immediately found) and make his way past the rubble and splintered wood that made up the destruction zone and toward the town. They'd hardly gone 5 feet along the maze of docks and pilings when another messenger caught up to them, this one from the mayor of the town, apparently called Fisherman's Horizon, stating that he wanted to speak with represtentives from Garden as soon as possible.

This brought them here: sitting cross-legged in a circle on the ground as if they were 5-year olds at story time, listening to a small, mousy man in a hideous oversized tropical shirt and shorts; who, eyeing their obvious weapons as if they were diseased, was spouting the most moronic drivel in the history of the world. It was only due to sheer stubbornness that Seifer tried to keep a hold on his temper and refrain from carving up the landscape.

Mayor Dobe of Fisherman's Horizon opened the exchange by asking when Garden was planning on leaving. This was surprising, because while some civilians were quite active in their dislike for Garden, they were at least careful to hide that in the presence of SeeDs and other Garden personnel, purely for self-preservation reasons around mercenaries who took killing to an art form. When the mayor was told that Garden would leave as soon as the repairs were complete, he promptly volunteered the services of the best maintenance crew in the town.

Seifer's eyes narrowed, and before he could stop himself, demanded to know exactly why the mayor was being so accommodating. Even SeeD clients were rarely so helpful to those they employed, and the mayor had made his dislike of Garden clear.

When Seifer heard the reply, he could hardly trust his ears, the answer was so ridiculous. Apparently, the people of Fisherman's Horizon believed that violence attracted violence, and with the SeeD's violent lifestyle, were thus a danger to the safety of the town the longer they stayed. Seifer could almost see Trepe nodding her head out of the corner of his eye, just as he let out a loud snort of derision.

"Hyne's holy fucking balls, don't tell me that you actually _believe_ that bullshit? Sure, you've been lucky so far if you live like that, but sooner or later, some asshole with a taste of destruction will happen upon this place, and all the pacific ideals won't do squat to protect this place. The only way to discourage bastards like that is with a few good whacks with a sharp weapon."

"That is the way we live here, Mr. Almasy." The mayor said with an attempt of dignity that was ruined by his clothes. "It has served us well since before you were born, and who are you to say differently?"

Seifer stood, re-sheathing Hyperion as he did so. Deliberately, he loomed over the mousy mayor, watching as the shorter man paled rapidly as Seifer allowed a nasty smirk to cover his face. "Because," he said far too softly, "I happen to be that exact kind of bastard, and the only thing saving your town at the moment is that right now you do more for me in one piece than destroyed."

With that, he walked out, flashing a quick hand-signal to Trepe to stay and continue talking. Hopefully, she could patch up the damage Seifer's temper tantrum had caused. Once out in the twilight air, he breathed deeply, wondering exactly why he'd reacted the way he had. What was it about the mayor's words, besides the use of "Mr. Almasy", as if he were some old fart, that so pissed him off? What did it matter to him if the entire town was slaughtered? An image flashed into his mind: people running, screaming for mercy that the attacking soldiers did not grant as they methodically cleared the town, and later, a little blond boy, the only survivor, desperately begging and pleading with a woman whose sea-green eyes gazed sightlessly at the sky, to get up. Was that his mother? Then the image was gone, leaving Seifer even more unsettled.

Moodily, Seifer stumped along the wharf, not wanting to go back to Garden and face the crowds there. This whole situation didn't make sense. First Leonhart, the absolute last person he would expect, goes AWOL in the middle of a mission; then turns up working for Garden's ultimate enemy, who also happened to be the Headmaster's beloved wife of all things. Then, not only did Leonhart repeatedly torture him for a question he didn't know, but cruelly told him that there was nothing he could do to save the 3 Gardens from destruction, knowing that the part of Seifer that longed for glory, recognition, and yes, justice, would fall into complete and utter despair at such a message. After that, having to send one of the few people in Garden who was 120% behind him at all times at the hopeless task of trying to stop or slow down the launch of the final missiles, only for those missiles come right on time and having Garden saved only by the luck of fate and timing, and having to assume that his faithful lieutenant was dead, along with the others assigned to the task. This stupid town had nothing to do with any of the issues and cares that he was hauling around at the moment, so why was he taking it out on them?

Abruptly, he halted. There, that was the call of a Blizzard spell, and that looked like Diablos's Gravity Ball above those rooftops. The dark GF's attack was followed by the awe-inspiring sight of Quetzalcoatl soaring up into the sky in preparation for one of his lightning attacks. The lightning bird was followed by a visible gust of wind; one Seifer knew could only come from one Junctioned to Pandamona. Fujin nearly worshiped that GF, never letting even Seifer Draw it from her, not even when he'd been running on empty and could have really used the boost.

They were _alive_. Seifer never knew exactly when he'd started running. Shit, right now he could even kiss Chicken-wuss, sickening as the thought might be. After what might have been 5 minutes of sprinting, he came to where Fujin, Tilmitt, and Chicken-wuss, all none the worse for wear, even though Fujin's shirt was scorched, Tilmitt's dress was dirty, and Chicken-wuss had a scratch running across one arm, were fighting a full company of Galbadian soldiers. It was clear that they had the situation under control, but he wanted to ask a few questions to at least one survivor. Darting into the fray, he ducked another massive gust of wind, unsheathing Hyperion as he went, and slipped around the back of the fight to lay a soldier out with a Sleep spell. Hyperion was for defending himself when Fujin realized that he'd stolen her kill. It didn't take long for even weary SeeDs to finish the fight, and Seifer braced himself for their reactions. He didn't know Tilmitt that well, so couldn't predict how they would react to seeing him again, but Chicken-wuss and Fujin could easily want to vent some feelings on his person and he wanted to be prepared for it.

The three of them simply looked at him. He kept Hyperion down, not wanting to provoke them. There were _very_ few people on the planet who Seifer Almasy got fucking s_cared_ of at times. Really, there were only two: Leonhart, and Fujin. He didn't tell anyone, because ignorant fucks like Chicken-wuss would get the wrong idea that he was a pushover, but there were times when around Leonhart or around Fujin, when the only thing to do was duck and cover. One such memorable time that had occurred quite recently, was just after Seifer had laid the scar on Leonhart's face: the look in Leonhart's eyes, the complete and utter rage clearly visible there, doubly striking with emotion normally so foreign to the apathetic boy, that drove all blue out of his rival's gaze, leaving them a awe-striking shade of pure silver, had even Seifer Almasy thinking _oh fuck. _Fujin could match the level of that moment at times, in terms of how utterly _complete_ her rage could be. It had never been turned on him, thank Hyne, but that didn't keep it from scaring the utter shit out of him when it did happen. Seifer had to acknowledge, that Fujin just might make an exception for beating the shit out of him in these circumstances.

Thus, he was utterly unprepared for the yellow and copper blur that literally jumped into his arms. "_Seiferrrrr!!!_ You're _alive_!!! I mean, Fujin was sure that you'd make it but I couldn't help thinking that you were all dead I mean after I saw those missiles go off and I'm sorry I couldn't stop them like I promised to and I thought that Balaam was going to follow Trabia in being completely destroyed, and I'm _sooooo_ sorry I was just a minute or two off on the self-destruct sequence I set that was all I could do and, and-"

"Tilmitt, get off me so I can breathe!" Seifer ordered, prying the energetic girl off him. "I can't get a word in edgewise!" Over Tilmitt's yellow-clad shoulder, he could see Fujin give a satisfied smirk. She had enjoyed watching him sweat over her imagined reaction, he realized almost numbly, and had deliberately restrained herself so that Tilmitt could catch him completely off guard. Now she allowed her smirk and single eye to show all the emotions that she could never allow herself to show more openly: relief that Seifer was alive, hope that Raijin and Garden were ok, and a bit of sadistic enjoyment that Seifer had feared her wrath over the assignment he had given. It was Fujin to the core, and Seifer allowed himself an answering smirk that replied in kind. It was the kind of communication that was only capable between warriors that knew each-other extremely well, and Seifer's anxiety dropped a couple of notches at the sight. He was the impetus for the posse, the one who gave it direction. Raijin was the physical muscle to get things done. And Fujin was the mental driving force, which kept the other two going long after they were ready to drop on their own. It didn't matter what was before him, with Fujin at his back, it felt like it was manageable, and not the insurmountable weight it had been before. As long as his posse was behind him,_ anything_ could happen.

"GARDEN?" Fujin enquired, blunt as always.

"Safe. Apparently, all Gardens have the ability to fly, so just before the missiles arrived, we found the controls and got it working. And I do mean just before, the missiles were on final approach when we got it going." The three of them relaxed at the news. None of them had wanted to face that Balamb Garden could have easily followed Trabia's fate. As they recovered their composure, Seifer suddenly grinned at Zell in a way that made the Chicken-wuss back up a step or two. "Guess what, Chickie. Someone got his exam results overturned thanks to not only saving your butts in Timber and Galbadia, but Garden's collective ass as well. Care to guess who?"

The shorter blond was shaking his head, muttering "...no, this is a dream….can't be…" under his breath. Seifer's smirk stretched wider. "Can't quite hear you Chicken. You'll have to speak up."

"TRUTH?"

Seifer sighed as Fujin deprived him of his target, but answered her anyway. "Yep. Somehow Trepe herself put in the recommendation. Still not quite sure why she did that, but hey, I'm not complaining!" he grinned happily, then absently kicked the downed soldier that he'd saved in the ribs. "We'd probably better take this guy in. I know for a fact that the Old Fart will have some serious questions for this guy to answer, as he might be able to tell us somewhat of what the Sorceress is planning."

As expected, Fujin was the first to grasp the implications. "INTELLIGANCE, DOWN?"

Seifer nodded. "After the Sorceress arrested several key players in our Galbadian networks, everyone else has gone underground in hopes of avoiding Her attention. Fucking stupid if you ask me, but what can you expect? They didn't ask to be dragged into a war between a power-hungry Sorceress and Garden."

Belatedly, Seifer realized that the other three were almost painfully out of date in the news department, having been out of contact for a full week. And maybe he shouldn't have let the information slip, as most of Garden wasn't privy to that information as well, it didn't really matter. He knew that Fujin would die before admitting information she wasn't supposed to know, and the Chicken and Tilmitt should have learned this at their graduation, same as Leonhart.

"Garden's reason for existing; is to counter any Sorceress who feels like trying her dainty hands at world domination or suchlike. Apparently She already knows it, or was just smart enough to guess that whatever plans She had would be easier to accomplish without Garden in the way." He scowled, kicking a hapless pebble that happened to be in his path. "That is if the stupid mayor still decides to help fixing Garden after…" he trailed off.

While the other two SeeDs looked questioningly at Seifer, Fujin stared unblinkingly at her leader. "TEMPER?" she asked; a resigned note to her usual monotone.

"Not my fault," he defended himself reflexively. "The town has some stupid-ass notion that absolute pacifism will protect them, because they claim that violence attracts violence or some other such shit. Those soldiers you got rid of would have steamrollered over the town with all their pretty ideals underfoot if you hadn't stopped them."

"Don't blame Mayor Dobe for our beliefs." Seifer was spinning around before the new speaker had finished his sentence. Hyperion at the fuck's nose, he silently gave the startled nobody a pointed warning of what happened to those who startled SeeDs, before stepping back a step and allowing him to continue. Coughing a bit nervously, the man continued. "He wasn't always like that. But the exodus from Esthar took a large amount of his courage and taste for battle. His philosophy made sense to us, so we stayed with him when we settled here, rather than go elsewhere."

"Agree with it or not, it's still fucking stupid." Seifer paused, going over the words once his gut reaction had been spoken. "And where the fuck is Esthar? I've never heard of it."

The old man snorted, apparently already recovered from his experience at the business end of Hyperion. "I'm not surprised, given that they closed their borders after the downfall of Sorceress Adel. Follow the train tracks on the backside of town all the way into the mountains, you'll get there eventually. We left just before the dropping of the curtain; Adel was issuing crackdowns right and left, getting really paranoid due to all the resistance groups that were forming at the time." He shuddered. "You never want to see a paranoid Sorceress, or even live in the same country as one. "

"I'll keep that in mind." Seifer said sarcastically, "Let me get this straight. So, this Sorceress, Adel was it?, is getting really antsy, and Dobe decides that it's no longer worth it to try and stick it out, so he gathers a whole bunch of people together, leaves the country, and on the way decides that fighting only creates more fighting, so he will set up a community based on the sunshine, rainbows, flowers, and little puppy dogs notion that the big, bad, nasty world will leave you all alone just because you don't have any weapons. Forget soldiers, what happens when monsters roll into town? Stay indoors and hope they go away?"

Recognizing the signs of a circular argument that could only end in murder, and it _would _be murder given that Seifer had Hyperion while the local was unarmed, to say nothing of Seifer's skills and experience, Fujin inserted herself between the two disagreeing parties. For a moment, Seifer saw red- how _dare_ Fujin get between himself and his prey – before realizing what she was up to and deliberately relaxed; not saying anything as he turned on his heel and stalked back to Garden, leaving the others to gather up the prisoner and follow.

Despite the slightly somber mood, nothing could stifle Tilmitt's gleeful shout when Garden came into view, nor dampen her cheerful spirits as she callously dumped her share of the prisoner's deadweight on Zell, before rocketing up the dock. Infected by the energy, even Seifer had to crack a smile, it was impossible to stay depressed around Selphie Tilmitt that was for sure. His good mood was only improved when he learned that the mayor was still up for fixing Garden if it meant that they could leave faster. Somehow, Tilmitt managed to convince the repair teams to fix up the old stage that had been in ruins for years as well, not to mention wrangling up enough talent to put on a spur-the-moment talent show. The fun and hilarity (and Seifer would never forget the sight of the Cowboy, dressed in one of Tilmitt's spare jumpers, singing a ballad in a surprisingly good voice, nor the way the Chicken had thought the gunslinger was a girl) was almost enough to allow the entire Garden to forget about the constant buzz of tension that had infused the place after almost being blown to smithereens. It couldn't last, Seifer knew that. But for the moment, he could relax, insult the Chicken, and lay his cares aside.

//\\

Three days later, after they'd finally left Fisherman's Horizon; there was an announcement throughout Garden to search the facility for a girl named Ellone. Seifer could only assume that the name had something to do with the prisoner that had gone through Interrogation or possibly the ship that had pulled alongside Garden recently. Seifer had just been getting into the search, when a second announcement came, thanking everybody for their co-operation. He'd been near the place specified to bring the girl if they found her, and decided a bit of eavesdropping couldn't go amiss. Cid had been sparring with details ever since he'd made SeeD, and Seifer was tired of operating in the dark. Finding the place, he casually walked past the open door, sneaking a peek inside as he did so, before finding a place to listen. The Old Fart was in there, along with 3 SeeDs wearing strange white uniforms, and a civilian girl with a green shawl, maybe two or three years older than Trepe. That must be the mysterious Ellone, though just _how _had a civilian gained access to Garden, let alone hiding out in the facility for as long as she must have?

"…we were worried." Mind ticking a mile a minute, Seifer paid close attention, though what the Head Weirdo in White was saying didn't tell him anything. He wasn't the only eavesdropper; Chicken-wuss had been in the area as well, not to mention Kinneas.

"Worried? What for?" that would be Ellone's voice. For some reason, Seifer's hackles rose at the sound of it, though he couldn't say why. The light voice was nothing unpleasant to listen to, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened because of that voice, or….the lack of it. As Leonhart would say, "Whatever."

"Galbadia has taken control of all the major port cities and most of the small harbor towns as well. In short, everywhere we could put in is now under Galbadian control. They are very serious about hunting you." That was White Weirdo #2 this time. The guy continued, slightly softer, "The kids were heartbroken that we couldn't collect you as planned because Balamb was occupied- who are you!"

The martial artist slammed into the room the instant his hometown was mentioned. That's right; Seifer had nearly forgotten that the Chicken was a momma's boy, one of the few cadets who actually had a family that welcomed him into their arms whenever he had leave. And with the stories Seifer had heard of Ma Dincht's cooking, well, no wonder the shorter blond spent every opportunity he could at his parents' home.

"What was that about Balamb?" Seifer, too late to stop the Chicken from giving away their presence, banged his head on the doorframe in complete exasperation. Why did the other blond even try to appear mature, when incidents like this one proved otherwise? Right now, Chicken-wuss sounded like a whiney boy who was attempting to liberate his stuffed chocobo from the bullies. The rolled eyes beside him indicated that Kinneas agreed with his assessment.

Any reply to Zell's demand was cut off by Ellone's delighted cry of recognition. "Seifer! Irvine! And Zell! I almost didn't recognize you three! And –"Hyperion cut off the remainder of her excited call, though the three SeeDs in white tensed at the sight of the weapon.

"How is it that you know me?" Seifer's voice was flat. He was very tired of games, of hints given and never followed up until the completed picture bit him in the ass. Abruptly, Exeter moved, the barrel of the shotgun forcing Hyperion down until it touched the floor. "Save it" was the Cowboy's quiet advice.

Grumbling, Seifer obeyed, sheathing the gunblade. The point had been made, and that was the important part. For her part, Ellone didn't look as if she had just been threatened by a very deadly weapon, and one that required an obscene amount of skill to wield with any degree of control at that. She-she almost looked as if she were pouting, as if she were upset about something that she had half-expected to happen, but had wanted to be proven wrong about. "So you don't remember me as well," she whispered, half to herself. "Squall and Quisty didn't either, but I hoped that _some _of you guys would."

"Ellone, this isn't the time for this." Seifer spared half a glance to glare at the interfering Headmaster. He was _so_ close to getting some answers, so close he could almost taste them. He knew better than to protest however, at least not in front of strangers. The hierarchy of Garden had to appear undisturbed to outsiders, if only to avoid loss of face that could result in missed contracts. Granted, Garden hadn't been receiving contracts for a while, and the last time they had taken on supplies had been in Fisherman's Horizon's jacked up markets.

She nodded, following her white-clad escorts out of Garden and onto their ship. After they were safely away, Seifer's attempts to get some answers was interrupted by Zell's urgent demand. "What's happening in Balamb?"

The older man sighed. "As you heard, Galbadia has taken control of all the major ports and harbors in their efforts to locate that young lady. She's safe as long as she keeps moving, but the longer she escapes their grasp, the more determined Galbadia will be in retrieving her, and the harsher they will be to those under their thumb. As for specifics Zell, your guess is as good as mine."

"I'll take a team there." Seifer offered. When everyone still in the room just looked at him, he shrugged. "Hey, Chicken-wuss won't be able to sleep until he assures himself that mommy-dearest and his stuffed chocobo are all right. Besides, I'm getting a little stir-crazy, the last time I had a fight that did more than take the edge off was with Leonhart. It'll be interesting to see how a town full of soldiers will stack up in the comparison." At the continued incredulity, he dropped the joking air, and moved directly into the aging Headmaster's face.

"Look _Sir_," he said, biting off the formality that he knew the older man hated. "You told me when you promoted me that the reason you did so was because you needed more commanders around Garden. Since then however, you've kept me cut off from what Intel you've managed to get, and hamstrung whatever you passed onto me to the point of uselessness." He cut of the protest he could see rising in the man's face. "No, this isn't about glory, or adventure, or any of that kind of shit. I'm one of the most experienced people you've got, and you have a war to command. Hyne's balls, if it blows up in your face, you can always claim that I was acting on my own, and that Garden thus bares no responsibility."

"Why are you being so eager to do this Seifer?"

"Truthfully? So Chicken-wuss can check on his mom." At the incredulous looks, he snorted defensibly. "Come on, he's lucky to be one of the few in Garden who actually has a home to go back to. I can respect that. Not to mention, right now he's so damm distraught that teasing him would be just too easy. It's no fun to make them cry if you don't have to work for it."

"I can't order you to do this."

"I'm _volunteering_; you dumbas, much as that word gives me hives. I'll go round up some other merry volunteers and we'll go on our merry little way."

Abruptly, the old man looked far too happy for Seifer's liking. "Glad to see that you're taking your responsibility seriously. May I also assume that you'll be willing to lead a party to Trabia as well?"

Confused, Seifer just looked at Cid. "What's at Trabia?"

"Survivors, if the signals we're receiving are correct. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up," Tilmitt's hopes up Seifer read between the lines," and I was hoping to be able to send someone up there to check it out."

Seifer thought it over. While the mission didn't sound like that much of a problem, transportation was. Balamb was a harbor town; it would be relatively easy to catch up to garden from there even if he had to steal a boat to do so. Trabia Garden was not in so convenient a location, given that it was smack dab in the middle of the Trabian Mountains, miles from either coast, not to mention the rough passage between the straights to the northern Continent. It would be difficult to get there from Balamb, not to mention catching up to Garden. The team would have to be under radio silence unless in extreme emergencies, thus calling in to find Garden's location would be like painting a neon sign on the backs of the team that said, "WE'RE HERE!!" for Leonhart and his Sorceress to find.

Cid sweetened the pot. "I'll give you a ride to both locations and pick you up."

That sealed the deal. Giving his trademark smirk, the blond gunblader snapped off a smart salute, before nodding and turning around. Now, to go harass his dream teams for the missions into volunteering as well…..

//\\

Disgusted, Seifer toed the Galbadian corpses out of his path. Chicken-wuss had gone nuts when he had seen the state his hometown was in when Garden had found it swarming with soldiers. The resulting rampage through the streets to be sure his momma was ok had drawn the attention of the entire garrison, requiring himself, his posse, and Kinneas to watch the idiot's back. By the time "little Zelly" had been reassured that Ma Dincht was still in one piece, nearly the entire contingent of soldiers had been slaughtered by the SeeDs. Hyperion dripped red onto the stained cobblestones.

Reaching his prey, Seifer grinned as he leveled Hyperion's still wet point at one of the few survivors, the fat fuck that had played at commanding the pathetic troops stationed in Balamb and the surrounding area. He let his teeth show as a wet spot bloomed on once meticulously maintained trousers. Bending down, he asked in far too soft a voice for his expression, "If I let you live, will you take a message for me?"

The man nodded frantically, obviously far too gone in terror to think about what he was agreeing to; except that it meant a chance that he would live. Seifer truthfully didn't want to send the message, hated what it implied, but felt that he owed his rival at least one last consideration.

"Good," Seifer purred. "The message is for Squall Leonhart, Knight to your Sorceress. Tell him that unless he leaves his Lady's service, than the gloves come off. No more playing, no more sparring. Tell him that I will come after him with intent to kill, and that if he comes across me again; he'll end up with a lot worse than a scar. It will be war. Come back to Garden, or War. Got that?"

"Y-y-yes. I got it."

"Good. Now, to sign my message….." Hyperion swung, carving a line identical to its master's scar on the fat fuck's forehead. Seifer felt only disgust when the pathetic excuse for a man fainted from the pain. He'd taken a hit like that, and managed to get all the way back to Garden with the deadweight of his rival on his back. Turning, he nodded to Fujin. "Heal that enough so it doesn't get infected, but make sure it scars. Then dump him someplace he'll be found with a copy of my message pinned to his shirt. I don't trust him to deliver it in one piece. "

"AFFERMATIVE."

Seifer turned on his heel. Balamb had been cleared, at least for the moment. Some little voice was telling him that he didn't have time to waste hanging around Balamb, that he was needed elsewhere. And as the little voice was the same one that tended to tell him if a bullet was heading towards him with his name on it, he tended to trust it. If only it could be more specific.

//\\

The remains of Trabia Garden felt far too calm, Irvine decided. Given that hyperactive Selphie came from the place, a part of his picturing of the place had been infected with that same energy. Not only was the expected atmosphere missing, but there was far too little of _any_ activity for the sniper's peace of mind.

Walking around the remains of what had been a thriving Garden, he kept an eye out for Selphie's distinct yellow jumper, knowing that because of it, she ought to be readily visible. He ignored Seifer's irritated eye on his back as best he could. He knew the tall blond wanted answers, and seemed to sense that he had at least some of the ones to the questions that had to be tearing the other boy to pieces. Not to mention, the gunblader was fairly vibrating with nerves for some reason, and had been ever since they had left Balamb. Cautious questions from his self-proclaimed posse had been answered by incoherent snarls. Apparently, Seifer didn't know what was bothering him any more than the rest of them did.

While waiting for Selphie to finish her conversations with her fallen friends, Irvine cast his mind back to what he knew of the whole situation he knew they were in, not just the whole debacle with the Sorceress, but the sheer coincidence of having his childhood friends reunited at such a tumultuous time. It was all he could do to not laugh at the irony, because once he started, he wouldn't stop.

Apparently Seifer noticed the mirth. "Something you want to share with the others, Kinneas? I'm sure everyone here would be fascinated to know what it is you're thinking. "

He hesitated. He still remembered how Seifer could be as a child, and what he's seen recently, showed that some habits from that time remained, and if anything, had been improved on. "Nothing much. Just a coincidence." He tried to play it off as nothing, knowing that if Seifer's curiosity was aroused, than nothing could make the gunblader leave it be.

No such luck."Let's hear about this supposed 'coincidence'. If nothing else, it will pass the time until Tilmitt gets done sobbing over her friends."

Irvine sent Seifer a glare for his callous description of Selphie's grief, which the blond unsurprisingly shrugged off. Apparently the arrogant blond was used to shrugging off worse; if what he'd heard of the typical behavior of Seifer's reported rival was true. But then, Seifer always had an innate ability to piss people off, and had enormous endurance for the consequences of those actions.

Thinking about that, reminded him of the original tangent that had attracted Seifer's attention in the first place. Now, how to start….

"I wasn't born in Galbadia," he began. "I can't quite remember what exactly happened to my parents, but when I was about 4 years old, I was living in an orphanage on the Centra peninsula. There weren't all that many kids there, mostly orphans from the Sorceress War, so that meant that I got to know everyone else there pretty well. My best friend there was a girl just a little younger than me, though you'd never know that with how much energy she had." He couldn't restrain the smile at the thought of how cute Selphie had been in all of her bloodthirstiness when she had incited him to play war with her.

"Wait…" Selphie said, just coming back from the cemetery. "Was this orphanage a big stone house on the beach?"

"That was near a lighthouse?" Quistis added.

Irvine couldn't fight the grin that was threatening to erupt onto his face. They were _remembering_. "That's right, you both guessed it.

"And didn't we set off fireworks on that beach at least once?" Zell's tentative query broke visibly broke down further walls that had been sectioning memories away. Even Seifer was getting into it. The only ones who were excluded from the trip down memory lane were Seifer's two constant shadows.

Seifer noticed their slight discomfort. "Go talk to the survivors, see if they want to come back to Garden with us, maybe offer them a shot at helping us hand the Sorceress her prissy ass on a shiny silver platter. Who knows, some of them might be interested in a little revenge." He told them softly. Once again the arrogant blond surprised Irvine. He wasn't sure that Seifer would ever stop catching Irvine off guard, and suspected the gunblader to not so secretly revel in shaking other people's impressions of him up.

"Yeah, and you got us in so much trouble because you decided to be a crybaby tattletale." Irvine rolled his eyes, recognizing Seifer's bully mode as their unofficial leader responded to the martial artist earlier question. It had never failed to force Zell to react, with tears when they were younger, and fists and temper now. The arrogant blond blinked, likely coming to the realization that he had also been present at the orphanage as well. Abruptly, sea-green eyes narrowed, but didn't respond to Irvine's questioning glance that invited him to share his revelation with the group.

Irvine shrugged. It was Seifer's business whatever it was. Realizing that the blond was not going to talk, the gunman rejoined the conversation just as Zell was questioning the fact that he had parents in Balamb, so why had he been at the orphanage? He was just a fraction too late to stop Seifer from getting another shot in.

"Haven't you ever heard of _adoption_, Chicken-wuss? Hyne's balls, I wouldn't be surprised to figure out that most, if not all of us, were adopted before we ended up at our various Gardens. And before we go any further with this, you're all forgetting two very important people."

"Important how?" the look on Quistis's face was skeptical.

The tall blond snorted. "First off, what about the woman who took care of us? Matron, as we called her, remember her? Her name's Edea Kramer." When he only received uncomprehending looks, he spelled it out. "Edea Kramer, also known as _Sorceress_ Edea." While the group displayed their shock to that news, the gunblader continued. "And it gets better. There was another kid there at the orphanage with us, even if he didn't join in for most of our games, too busy being a bigger crybaby than little Zelly here over Sis."

It took a moment for Irvine to connect the dots. Anti-social, crying over Sis, he could almost picture the person Seifer was describing. Trying to remember, he found himself gazing up at the sky, at the massing bruised clouds that threatened to rain. Rain. Clouds. Squall. Squall Leonhart, Seifer's main rival, and current Sorceress Knight. By the look of the others faces, the same realization had hit them equally hard.

"How did you remember that he'd been there?" Irvine found himself asking. He hadn't recalled Squall's presence, and he was the only one who actively avoided the memory draining caused by the use of GF's, thanks to the informative seminar on them he'd attended at Galbadia Garden several years back. Why had Seifer, who hadn't Unjunctioned Ifrit since he'd known the blond, and added new GF's into his head at every opportunity, recalled something that he hadn't?

Said blond gave his trademark smirk, the one that made Irvine wish he was allowed to blast to smithereens with Exeter. "Well, Puberty-Boy and I never quite stopped fighting each other. We spent half our time at the orphanage fighting, and the other half being punished by Matron for it. I don't think we ever stopped, because we were still beating on each other every chance we got at Garden."

"Is that why you never left Squall alone at Garden?" Quistis couldn't believe Seifer's words. It made far too much sense, in that it didn't make any sense at all. But then, her only participation in that rivalry was to try and break it up as an Instructor.

"It was the one way I could tell Leonhart that he wasn't as alone as he thought he was that he would accept, and as a bonus would also drag him out of those damm internal monologues that he would retreat into. I'll bet that all your lectures and 'I'll be there for you,' and 'I understand you' speeches got tuned right out easily enough, didn't they? He was never able to tune me out."

As interesting as this analysis of Squall's motivations in fighting Seifer at Garden was, it wasn't the purpose of the conversation. "As stimulating as this discussion may be, we're getting away from the point I was trying to make." Irvine's voice broke effortlessly into the light standoff between Seifer and Quistis. They hadn't changed their behaviors since the orphanage. Quistis being the bossy, responsible one then, and Seifer was the arrogant bully. Only they _had_ changed: Quistis was still bossy, but far too insecure to be truly responsible. Seifer was still arrogant, still a bully even, but somehow through those same qualities had become a leader, one who could inspire hope and a purpose even in those convinced of their own failure. Irvine still remembered how Seifer had inspired him when all his nerves and bad habits were working to trip him up in the Clock tower in Deling City.

In a way, they had all changed from their time in the orphanage. That had been many years ago, and a great many things had happened to all of them since that time. But, at heart, nothing really had changed at all, they were still together, and, by and large, their group dynamics still worked the same. The coincidence he had been mulling over earlier, was that despite all the time apart, all the separate experiences, despite forgetting that they even knew each other from childhood, and all the blood, death, disappointments, fears, and tears of a life spent apart, at the core, they were still the same group of orphans who had played in the surf on the Centra peninsula.

He shared this with the group. For a few heartbeats, everything was quiet as they absorbed the words, the only sound the rustling of the wind over the ruins of Trabia Garden. As the minutes passed, everyone could nearly feel the others processing the words in their own way. Finally, Seifer pushed himself up from where he'd been sitting on some rubble, and began to walk away, jarring the rest of them out of their thoughts. "Hey, where're you going?" Selphie called to the broad figure of the gunblader's retreating back

The blond's head turned back enough for the rest of them to see his profile. "What the Cowboy said is true, but there are a couple members of our little gang who need a wakeup call so they can remember who they are. Who's with me to deliver that ass-kicking?"

It was strange, Irvine reflected, that none of them hesitated, drifting from their places to follow Seifer as if he were dragging them along with him in the wake of his personality and charisma, grabbing them before they could find the energy to resist, even if they wanted to. Quistis might disapprove of Seifer's methods from time to time, and Zell might vow vengeance for all the verbal abuse the taller blond put him through, but the gunblader's magnetic personality was enough to silence both of their fears and reservations about Seifer character. For himself, Selphie, Fujin and Raijin, there was no questioning, not even when Seifer was at his most annoying. Sure, they could get irritated with his stupidity, but Irvine half- suspected that Seifer's bouts of idiocy were intentional, as they never seemed to happen anywhere near a combat situation. That he deliberately played the fool, in order to get reactions, and to keep his followers on their toes. Irvine had no doubt that Seifer wouldn't hesitate to leave them behind if they weren't capable of keeping up in any fashion, but that only made him work harder to make sure that he _didn't_ fall behind.

//\\

Upon finally returning to Garden, Seifer found himself ambushed by a flustered Headmaster. "Seifer! There you are. I need your advice." The Old Fart gasped as he caught up to the gunblader.

"Sure. What's going on that you so desperately need my help for?" Seifer didn't know what was going on, but hey, if it was just advice that the Old Man needed, he could oblige.

"I just got word from one of our few active networks. Galbadia Garden is on the hunt for us. And it's less than a day away."

//\\

Cliffhanger!!!! Muhahahahahaha I am evil to end this chapter here. But I deserve some satisfaction, given how much grief this chapter has given me. Not only did the fisherman's horizon scene fight me in every way possible, but the last couple paragraphs to Irvine's scene refused to allow themselves to be written for several days!!! Whew, that was tough to get out.

So, things are advancing right along. Next chapter will deal with the clash of Gardens, and there's no way I can avoid writing fight scenes. Have you noticed? I avoid writing about them and when I can't I compress them into as short a form as I can manage. Yet the next chapter is mostly one fight after another. I'm _not_ looking forward to writing it.

This story is getting very interesting to write. It's fun to work scenes in without the imput of certain characters. Like the scene with Irvine. In the game, the reason why the whole 'we have a past togather' conversation happenes is because of Rinoa. Well, she's not in this story. How to bring it up? Things like that keep writing this fun.

Why oh why my loyal readers! Only two reviews? What must I do to entice a better performance this chapter?


	5. Chapter 5

Icicle Knight Fiery SeeD

Chapter 5

//\\

_Upon finally returning to Garden, Seifer found himself ambushed by a flustered Headmaster. "Seifer! There you are. I need your advice." The Old Fart gasped as he caught up to the gunblader. _

"_Sure. What's going on that you so desperately need my help for?" Seifer didn't know what was going on, but hey, if it was just advice that the Old Man needed, he could oblige._

"_I just got word from one of our few active networks. Galbadia Garden is on the hunt for us. And it's less than a day away."_

All of Seifer's amusement and good humor immediately drained away at the announcement. 'Fuck' he thought briefly, 'Leonhart definitely isn't sleeping on the job.'

Then his expression hardened. This wasn't the time for maudlin'. This looked to be the final showdown between Garden and the Sorceress, and there was no more time for games. He nodded in response to the older man's question. He raised a prompting brow as the Headmaster remained silent, finally saying, and "I can't help you out unless you tell me what preparations you've put in place already."

Cid flushed. "I've told the Instructors to intensify combat drills and Training Center simulations."

"Good. What else?" at the continuing silence as a result of his query, Seifer heaved a disbelieving sigh. "Don't tell me that's all you've done. _Please _tell me that your preparations have been more extensive than _that_!"Further silence. Seifer exploded.

"Do you fucking _want_ Balamb Garden to fall? Hyne's Fucking, Holy, Balls, Ifrit's Horns, and Shiva's Fingers!!! No invasion drills, no assigning of defensive positions to the upperclassmen, no speed drills to set up barricades, nothing!!! What you've done so far is to basically hand Garden over to your fucking lovely wife on a silver fucking platter!!! If Leonhart attacks as we are now, we are toast!!"

Attracted by the shouting, Seifer's least favorite person in Garden came to the Headmaster's defense. Xu, who had been Seifer's squad leader in his first exam, who had passed with flying colors while Seifer had fallen into ignominy when he had deliberately left the group to take out a sniper's nest that had been menacing another squad. Xu had received all the commendations for the feat, while he had been loaded down with reprimands for disobeying orders. Xu had never forgiven him for the stunt, had been unable to let go of the fact that he had stepped outside her precise battle plan to save another squad in trouble and the antipathy was entirely mutual. In Seifer's mind, Xu should never have been promoted, being the sort to mindlessly obey regulations even after they got people under her command killed.

"Is there a problem here Sir?" she asked politely, glaring at Seifer as she did so. He glared right back, still furious at how much of Balamb Garden's defenses had been neglected. Didn't anyone realize that it was Leonhart making the battle plans that would be assaulting Garden? Leonhart, who would no doubt be fighting with every ounce of his abilities, given that his rival put absolutely no stock in emotional attachment; that for him, Garden was not the place where he had grown up and trained, but an merely an obstacle in the Sorceress's plans. And Leonhart eliminated obstacles, no matter whom or what they were, or died trying.

"No, no," Cid soothed Xu, looking hard at Seifer. "Nothing's the matter. Seifer was just helping me plan our defenses against Galbadia Garden's imminent attack."

"If you can call the pathetic plans you have so far, defenses. Leonhart's going to roll right over us."

"And you think that you could do a better job?" Xu challenged.

"A trained monkey could do a better job than the Old Fart right now, and you'd know it too if you dragged your head out of your ass long enough to see why!"Seifer shot back.

"How dare-"Xu began, before the Headmaster interrupted her. "No, he's right. I've dropped the ball, and have just received a wakeup call as to exactly why I can't afford to do that in my position. I'm not qualified to lead Garden in war, especially now, not when it's been so long since I've been in the field. I haven't so much as touched a weapon since I became Headmaster. I'm too old to try my hand at new tricks, and I should have realized that long ago." He smiled his 'disarming old uncle smile' the sheer normality of the expression making Seifer twitch. "Would the two of you like to follow me up to my office? I would like some witnesses to the announcement I'm about to make."

Seifer almost didn't hear Xu's acknowledgement of the request/order, he was too busy trying to dissect what the Old Fart was doing. The old man had caved into his blustering remarkably quickly, leaving the blond almost flat-footed and unbalanced. And since when did the Headmaster need witnesses to make an _announcement_? He was up to something, but fuck if Seifer couldn't figure out what it was.

Suspicious of the Old Fart's motives, Seifer hung back from entering the spacious room, and only moving into the room when it became clear that the other two were waiting for him before they activated the lift to the Bridge. Gently pushing aside the SeeD on duty, the Headmaster crossed to the control panel and activated the Intercom.

"I'm sure that this comes as a shock to you, but I've come to the conclusion that I can no longer lead Garden the way I have been doing. As you may or may not be aware, Garden has been perused by the Sorceress ever since we left our stationary position to escape from destruction. I have come to realize, that while I may do well commanding from my office the actions of SeeD members in the field, that does not exactly translate into leading SeeD in combat.

Therefore, to aid in that fight, and may I make clear that there is no avoiding that fight, I have decided to half my responsibilities, and delegate all command powers to one SeeD that I've had my eye on for some time. You may or may not get along with him, but he has such a talent for command that it sometimes gets in the way of his following orders, and his physical skills are without equal within Garden. I will still remain your Headmaster, but that position will become a purely administrative position. Your Commander will have final authority as to deployments, and long-term strategy in this struggle against the Sorceress, and others who might seek to emulate Her in the future. I give you your new Commander, Seifer Almasy." With a secretive smile, the old fool cut the mike and turned arround to gauge the reactions of his audience.

What. The. Holy. Fuck?! Ifrit's left nut, was the senile old fool serious? Commander of all Garden forces, Him? He, he couldn't have heard that right. Xu was equally incredulous, nearly sputtering in her disbelief. "But Sir, why did you pick _him_ of all people?"

"Because he's confidant, has charisma in spades, gets results, is unpredictable in his tactics, and because he can read and predict Squall Leonhart as much as is humanly possible, that is to say, better than anyone else in Garden. All of which are qualities that will be needed in the coming fight."

"You say he's unpredictable, that's just a fancy word for reckless! He's going to get everyone in Garden killed!"

"Seifer is unorthodox, that is true, but that is a strength; not a weakness as you assume. And while he may not be the best team player, he also has a remarkable lack of allied casualties on his tally, something I can't quite say for you. He's proved to me that he can handle the responsibility. I've been planning this for a while now, but this attack made me speed up my schedule a bit."

"But-" Xu tried to protest again, only to be cut off by a harsh gesture from the Headmaster. "I've made my decision Xu! Seifer is now your Commander, and I suggest that you find a way that you can work with him before you find yourself court-martialed."

Throughout all of that exchange, Seifer stayed in a slight daze, not really present during the conversation. His mind tried to form some sort of biting quips to throw at Xu, to throw his new status in her face, but the unprocessed sensation of being Commander, of being the military leader of Garden, and of being responsible for the lives of every kid and SeeD, and cafeteria worker aboard hadn't completely sunk in yet and created a barrier between his mouth and his mind.

It wasn't until nearly a full day later, when receiving the word that Galbadia Garden was closing in and would be in sortie range in two hours, did the numb feeling cease in favor of the beginnings of combat buzz. It was time to show Garden, and Leonhart, just what he was capable of at the helm.

//\\

Squall's gaze was hard as he stared evenly at his old home, not an ounce of sentiment for the structure that that had housed him for as far back as he could easily remember. It mattered nothing. SeeD and Garden, both were a never-ending threat to his Lady's safety, so long as they existed. Beyond his Sorceress, nothing mattered. She had come back to him, even after he had been tainted by the false teachings of Garden, had come back from out of his faint childhood, and offered him security and love, in exchange for his service.

Not to mention, she offered him a way to strike back at those who had abandoned him. When he'd learned that the Ellone She was searching for was the 'Sis', of his childhood dreams, the one whose absence had torn a hole throughout his psyche, he had intensified the hunt deliberately, both wanting to see her again, and to make her pay for abandoning him. He felt the same way toward Seifer, Zell, Quistis and the others. Thanks to the memories his Lady had awoken in him, he knew that once he had lived in the same orphanage as the others, yet they had all left him there without a second thought. Only his Lady had come back for him, and for that kindness, he would move heaven and earth to prove his devotion. Exterminating SeeD as an organization was small change.

Lifting a pair of binoculars to flinty blue-grey eyes, he went over the structure before him, analyzing it one last time to see if there were any weaknesses or defenses that he hadn't already taken account of in his plan. Easily spotting the Headmaster's office, he could look in the windows and see those on the Bridge unit that had been added to the opulent room. Focusing there for a moment, he was slightly startled to see a very visible, very recognizable white trench coat, the scarlet cross-swords on the sleeves clearly visible even from this distance. Seifer. For a brief moment, something caught in his throat at the sight, but it was gone before he had a chance to analyze it.

No matter. His rival was turning until he was looking in his exact direction, a matching pair of binoculars to sea-green eyes. Their eyes locked, sea-green clashing with blue-grey; sparks flashing between the two as if they were in the same room, not nearly 50 ft apart, on opposing Gardens.

The game was on.

/\

Seifer lowered the binoculars from his face, whistling a bit under his breath. Damm, but Leonhart was looking just as fine as always. Setting the instrument down, he barked at the young SeeD at the helm (Nida he thought the kid's name was, hadn't he been one of the ones who passed the exam with Leonhart?) to bring the intercom online, he needed to make an announcement.

"Listen up kiddies. I'm sure you're all wondering why Garden is under attack, why we were almost wiped out with missiles, and why we've been operating under High Alert for the past several weeks. But to explain it, I'm going to have to let you in on a little secret about what being SeeD is all about.

"All of you ought to know that SeeDs are elite mercenaries. That all is true, but our first and foremost purpose is to defend the world from any Sorceress who wants to try her dainty little hands at World Domination and or Destruction. Sound familiar to any of you who've been paying attention to current events? Sorceress Edea knows SeeD's true purpose, _that's_ why She destroyed Trabia Garden, and emptied Galbadia Garden of its former inhabitances to serve as Her HQ. _That's_ why She has been trying her level best to destroy this Garden as well, but She's going to find Balamb Garden a tougher nut to crack!

"Balamb Garden is the last stronghold for SeeD, the only ones who stand a chance at stopping Her. I know all of you will do your best to prove to that Sorceress-bitch that Balamb Garden is still strong, and is ready to take Her down at any time!

"I want all those with even student ID numbers to report to the Quad. Those whose numbers end in odd numbers 3 or 5, report to the lobby; 7 and 9, get the internal barricades up and divide yourselves into groups of no more than 6 each and cover the various balconies, those with projectile weapons have priority. Any extra go help those in the Lobby. Those whose ID numbers end in 1, look after the underclassmen. Take them to the Training Center's control booth, and only open the door to an Instructor level pass code or higher. Go ahead and program some high level monsters to keep any soldiers that manage to get to you busy.

"Kiddies, I hate to remind you of this, but this is not a test, not a drill. You will not be graded on your showing. This is _war_, and you are to kill as many of the enemy as you very possibly can. I can assure you that they will _not_ return the favor if you give them mercy. If you do, it is very possible that you will die. What is _not_ a possibility; is that the enemy _you_ spare _will_ kill the cadet fighting beside you. That death will be _your _responsibility. You are to fight to win, and to win at all costs. GF's will be distributed to those who can use them, and all of you are to stock as many spells as you can hold, offensive, defensive it doesn't matter to me.

"As an aside, I want Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Quistis Trepe, Selphie Tilmitt, and the Disciplinary Committee to report to the Headmaster's office at the conclusion of this announcement. I have separate orders for you. Now, the rest of you, go kill some Galbadian bastards and make me proud. For Garden!!"

"For Garden!" was Nida's answering call as Seifer signaled him to cut the mike. He raised a sardonic eyebrow, causing the dark-haired SeeD to awkwardly flush in embarrassment. Apparently even Mr. hide-away-Nida, who came close to Squally-boy in reserve, had become swept up in his speech. But much to his disappointment, he didn't have time to tease the other boy properly, because a Look from Fujin as she and Raijin arrived made him think better of it.

When everyone he'd asked for had arrived, he dispensed his orders: Kinneas was to find a spot overlooking the Quad and put his sniper training to good use, while Trepe was to take command of the students fighting there. Chicken-wuss and Tilmitt were dispatched to aid those fighting in the Lobby, while his posse was to patrol around and aid those keeping watch at the various balconies, Fujin taking the ground floor, while Raijin was to look after the second. Nida was to stay on the Bridge, and try to keep Garden in one piece, given that Leonhart would most likely try to ram it. It's what Seifer would do if he were in his rival's place.

As he listened to the various posts sounding off their readiness, he couldn't stop himself from grinning foolishly as he checked over Hyperion one last time. They were as ready as they ever were would get on such short notice. And if Nida was any indication, those under his command would fight their hardest for SeeD, each other, and to take down the Sorceress. Just before he left the Bridge, one last bit of inspiration struck. "Nida, I want you to send a message to Galbadia Garden, Headmaster's office."

"What?" Nida looked nervous, as if trying to figure out why Seifer would want to do such a thing.

Seifer smirked. "Just send one word: 'Lionheartless'. The recipient will get what it means."

"Ok," Nida turned back to his instrument panel, manipulating a few buttons before grasping the control yoke once more. And not a moment too soon, as the other Garden abruptly lurched forward, striking the Quad heavily, making everyone stagger and the dark-haired SeeD gasp. "I'd say that got a reaction."

"Always works just like a charm." Seifer was grinning, teeth gleaming wolfishly. "Never, _ever_ fails to get him to react. You have your orders Nida! I'm going to go join the fun." The lift closed on Nida's slightly panicked questioning as to what he'd meant by that remark.

/\

Squall was coldly furious. _How dare_ Seifer call him by that name _again_.He'd hated it the first time the other gunblader had bestowed it upon him, and still loathed it with a passion exceeding all the other nicknames the blond had stuck him with.

Lion Heart flashed in the prearranged signal, sending the first wave of mounted troops on their way. Even if Seifer managed to counter the first wave, he had 4 other waves waiting in reserve. While there were several strong SeeDs in residence at Balamb Garden, as well he knew; the majority of the defenders were untested students, whose combat skills had never faced any challenge except supervised spars and weak monsters in the Training Center. Eventually, they would run out of stamina, and that's when his troops would swarm over Garden.

Still, a tiny hint of doubt touched his mind. He'd planned his strategy around the command abilities of Headmaster Cid, who, while a great administrator; hadn't been in the field since at least before Garden was founded. Any combat experience he might have had would be dulled by years of inactivity, and who knew if the Headmaster had any true experience with command. Seifer on the other hand was a different story, and it_ had_ to be Seifer in command, no one else would have sent him the message of 'Lionheartless'. He knew about Seifer's of leadership abilities firsthand, not to mention his combat stats, of which he had no doubt had improved somewhat since his defection.

No matter. If it was Seifer in command, then that simply meant he would have to work that much harder for victory. Their rivalry would permit nothing less. Taking note of how much time had passed since he'd sent the first wave, he ordered the airborne troops to move in. they would break in to Garden through the second floor windows and take the defending SeeDs from the back. Each wave was targeted at different locations, so SeeDs would be forced to keep moving, with the exception of his final wave. That wave would hit all the previous target locations at once, coming at the defenders from places they had already cleared and pulled cadets from to protect other areas.

He'd wanted to add yet another wave of attack, just to make sure, but his Lady had put Her foot down, citing that She trusted him to accomplish the task in 5 waves, and given that they'd thought Cid Kramer would be in command, it hadn't bothered him. Now…, Seifer was a whole different scenario. Seifer was a maverick, who cut corners and bullied his way past problems others would have gone around, but who also pulled solutions out of thin air and made the impossible happen on a regular basis. That was a truthfull, honest-to Shiva, fact. His arrogant ways should have been a turn off, but the blond was actually a good leader, just look at the behavior of his so-called posse. Devotion was too poor a word to describe the way Fujin and Raijin acted. And the only member of his Lady's forces that could take on Seifer one-on-one was himself, and that was with effort. It wasn't a secret that the two of them had been the best in Garden, even before he'd passed the exams, a Sin that had taken his Lady's Grace to extinguish.

Garden had Sinned against his Lady simply by existing, and all those who had taken the SeeD exams, or wanted to take them, or Hyne forbid actually _passed_, were far too late now for similar absolution. They should have thrown themselves on his Lady's Mercy while She still had it. Not that it would have made very much of a difference.

Again, he sent the starting signal and yet another wave of troops was launched. Balamb Garden was defending itself better than he had expected, and that was starting to be slightly worrisome. Not to mention, whoever they had up on the Bridge working the controls was doing a very good job of playing 'keep away' from the persistent ramming that he'd planned. Not that he'd planned on destroying anything vital that way, but the constant bombardment would have taken its toll against the defenders.

By the time the 4th wave was launched, he started to get slightly disturbed. They should have seen some result by now, should have made some dent in the defenses, yet there was no evidence of that being the case. He only had one wave left, and while it was supposed to be the biggest and most all-encompassing one to date, it simply wouldn't be enough if the lines weren't broken in _some_ way before hand.

Abruptly he stiffened, as his Lady Herself came up to where he was watching the progression of the battle. "How goes the fight, My Knight?" She asked, her voice a river of cool water to his nerves.

He felt his worries and cares slip away from him as they always did in Her presence. He was worrying over nothing, how could he suspend his faith in Her long enough to doubt Her victory? With the magic of the Sorceress on their side, there was no way Balamb Garden could _hope_ to resist.

"Not as well as I might have hoped, my Lady," he answered, "though not so badly that I am no longer confident of victory."

"Good." She purred, laying cool fingers against his cheek. Against his will, the flesh She touched heated, just the slightest. He couldn't help it, not with how beautiful She was, and he was still young enough to be ruled by inconvenient hormones. He wasn't exactly attracted to Her physical form (something always got in the way when he tried to think about just how perfect Her body was), but the larger than life Presence She extruded wherever She went, was what he craved.

She lightly pecked his cheek, still slightly warm from Her caress. "For luck. I expect to hear word of My victory soon enough."

He watched her leave, and stared at the door She had gone through for long moments after it had hidden Her retreating form. Then he turned to stare at his objective with fresh feelings of confidence. He couldn't let Her down, not when She had given him everything. For Her sake, Balamb Garden would be a pile of smoldering ashes within the hour.

//\\

"What happened to keeping things between us?" Seifer wanted to laugh at Leonhart's question. Boy, did Leonhart have a set of brass ones asking that question, after torture, and destroying Trabia Garden, and nearly destroying Garden not once, but twice. Seifer would never admit just how close the lines at Balamb Garden had been to breaking before he, his posse, and the rest of the 'Orphanage Gang' as Tilmitt had taken to calling them, appeared on Galbadia Garden's figurative front doorstep. After making their way through several hallways to Kinneas's best guess of where exactly the Sorceress had been hiding, they had been confronted by at least 20 soldiers led by Leonhart himself. He let Hyperion swing lazily from his grip as he answered his rival.

"The terms of our rivalry changed when you decided to fall head over heels for an evil Sorceress, Puberty-boy. You know Leonhart, I'd never have pegged you for an oedipal momma's boy-"

He never finished his sentence; the crash of gunblades connecting filled the large room and cut off whatever else he had to say. Seifer grunted at the unexpected force, Hyperion was actually nearly knocked out of his grip, though Leonhart was unable to follow up the momentary advantage as the brunet gunblader was suddenly beset by both Zell's lightning fast fists, Trepe's whip, and random potshots from Kinneas's shotgun, as the sniper, aided by Tilmitt and his posse systematically decimated the soldiers Leonhart had dared to bring along as backup. Though honestly, he couldn't blame his rival for wanting someone to cover his ass, he'd brought backup too. The only difference was the quality of said backup. Through it all, Sorceress Edea sat on Her throne, a small smile playing around formerly kind lips, the soft cruel light of malice in Her eyes.

Seifer knew that his rival was extraordinarily skilled; being strong, agile, and almost unnaturally attuned to his weapon. But even with all those advantages, not even Leonhart could last forever in the conditions he found himself in. One minute Seifer was struggling with his rival over locked blades, the next Leonhart was falling to the floor, the victim of a lucky unblocked shot to the temple. Seifer had to take time to blink to be sure that he was seeing everything correctly, only to find that Leonhart was still lying on the ground, delicate lids fluttering shut over slivery-blue eyes. All movement stopped, all sound stilled. No one knew for sure what to do.

Seifer trembled with the repressed desire to beat the shit out of Chicken-wuss for interfering like that, only restraining himself with the knowledge that this was not a spar between the two rivals, but war, and that there was an enemy still in the room who was fresh, one who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of any discord among the SeeDs. Almost as one, all the SeeD's in the room turned and locked eyes with a pair of golden ones, no longer cold, but molten hot with rage.

She stood slowly, menace apparent in every line of her body, and flowed down the short flight of stairs from Her throne until She stood only a few feet away from Seifer and Leonhart's unconscious form. "Now, look what you've done." Her voice seemed almost a parody of what he felt a mother's voice ought to be like. "Do I need to send you to separate corners to keep you from fighting?"

Seifer found himself laughing. "Don't strain yourself; you don't have to pretend to be our Matron. Besides," he laughed some more, "it's not as if that punishment ever actually worked."

"Very well;" and there was a slick and slightly odious cast to the Sorceress's voice that Seifer vaguely recalled from the Deling City parade as She dropped the motherly façade like yesterday's news. "So you are the destined SeeDs who will face me? I must say that I am not impressed." She sighed, as if She were about to take on some unpleasant, but necessary task. "Not that it matters. You will all die, here and now."

Seifer didn't spare the energy to question, all senses abruptly focused on the deadly blue gunblade that suddenly rose up and did its best to cleave his head from its shoulders. Leonhart stood, almost as if he hadn't spent the last few minutes on the floor in a dead faint, but Seifer detected a faint almost imperceptible tremor to his rival's knees and knew that Leonhart was only a few good hits from the land of dreams. Seifer did a slight double-take when he realized that his rival's lips were moving silently, almost as if he needed to actually vocalize something to himself, something Seifer had never actually seen before thanks to his rival's preference for talking in his own head, something about, "….not letting Her down… ." whatever it was, didn't matter. Putting the Sorceress down was for Leonhart's own good, even if the other boy couldn't see it. With his free hand, he told the others to stay back while he handled Leonhart.

A breath later, Leonhart attacked, sloppily, in a way that would have gotten himself killed if he'd been facing anyone other than Seifer. One hit, two, and Leonhart was out, sent back to the realm of sleep courtesy of Hyperion's hilt. The Sorceress didn't seem to be in the least concerned about the fall of Her Knight, launching an array of staggeringly powerful spells one after another, almost before Leonhart hit the ground.

Kinneas installed himself behind a pillar and began shooting, not just at the Sorceress, but around Her, forcing her to watch out for falling debris in addition to the bullets and spells flying thick and fast. Tilmitt continued to cast Protect and Shell in layers over everybody, while Trepe's whip was aided by Fujin's winds and a cunningly cast Haste. The posse watched Seifer's back as he darted in close with to harry Her with physical attacks, and the Chicken stood back slightly, standing over Leonhart's downed form, Quetzalcoatl appearing periodically to rain lightning down when Seifer had been forced back. Neither side gave ground, the Sorceress seemingly unharmed by the rain of magic, lightning, bullets, and steel that never seemed to let up for a moment, while the shower of spells stormed around the room, forcing the SeeDs to dodge or duck to keep from being incinerated by huge fireballs, blasted by hurricane force winds, or hit by overly-large Thundraga spells.

Just when they felt as if they couldn't sustain the battle anymore, something in the vicinity of the Sorceress exploded. Seifer vaguely recognized Fujin shoving him down and covering himself with her body before everything went black.

//\\

She struggled out of the void where she had existed for…who knew how long. The first thing she recognized was that she hurt, every bone and muscle in her body seemed to protest the slightest movement strenuously. Despite that, she carefully moved her hand to rest on her heavily aching head, and found herself jerking incautiously in surprise at the fact that her limbs actually responded. She tried reaching for the other presence in her head, the one she had struggled so hard against ever since the other Sorceress had taken her body for Her own. No response. She was free.

Slowly, mindful of how sore her body was, she pulled herself upright using a handy pillar, instantly attracting the attention of the various, very well armed group of, well, she knew that they were almost grown, but they would always be children to her. Her children. There was little Selphie, still a darling little angel even after all these years, despite the angry pair of nunchaku in a harness on the back of her yellow dress. There was Quistis, grown to be a lovely young woman. There was no mistaking Zell with that hair, though exactly _where_ he had received that _outlandish_ tattoo on his face she didn't know and wasn't particularly sure she wanted to. There was Irvine, nearly as pretty as the girls with that stunning red-gold ponytail, though it seemed as if he'd never grown out of that cowboy phase he'd been coming into when he left the orphanage. Seifer, still as brash as ever, but bent solicitously over the fallen form of a young woman with short silver hair and an obvious eye patch, his girlfriend, perhaps? No, with the way he was talking to the final young man in the room, one who was as tall and stout as the young woman was short and slender, her boy was concerned for her, but not as concerned as his friend was. Then he turned; achingly familiar sea-green eyes hard and given a vicious edge with that scar that ran between his brows. He picked up a strange bladed weapon that for some reason tickled a hint of familiarity with some distant memory, and aimed it directly for her.

All of her children took that as a signal and readied their own weapons. Abruptly, she realized that they didn't know that she was herself again, though she honestly didn't know for how long that would be so. She had to say something, anything to indicate that she was not a threat, that she meant and could do no harm to the children she cared for as her own. Practically her whole family was there, save for Cid, Squall and-

Oh Holy Hyne. Ellone. Was she still safe? She thought she'd managed to keep that one secret safe, even as the future Sorceress raped her memories and will, using her body to commit who knew how many unspeakable deeds that had induced the very children she had raised and cared for as her own to raise weapons to her with deadly intent.

"Did, did She catch Ellone?" The question was soft, yet filled the large room due to the utter silence no one wanted to break. She desperately tried to read their faces, but they would have shown more emotion carved in stone. "Please;" and the fear was naked in her voice, "tell me that I kept that one secret safe. I knew and feared that this day would come, please tell me if I managed to keep at least one thing hidden from Her. Please…"

Her strength gave out. As she collapsed, she hoped that she wasn't imagining the incredulity on her children's faces, as the realization that she had not been herself sunk in. there was no time for her to enjoy that revelation, as the darkness closed in again, only this time with the promise that it would recede shortly.

//\\

Whoot!! Big battle chapter over and done with!! And I know that some of my readers were interested in what Squall was up to and his motivations for his actions with the Sorceress. I hope that I didn't make a huge mistake in framing it in sort of a religious sense, as if Edea/Ultimecia is his goddess, and he will do anything and everything to further Her cause.

I had fun with the scene with Xu. It was fun coming up with their shared history, and it is clear in the game that Seifer and Xu know each other fairly well, and do not get along well together at all. Coming up with a reason for that enmity was cool, but also necessary because Seifer being Seifer, isn't going to be able to take over Garden without some misgivings on the parts of those who either don't like him, or have doubts about his ability to command effectively. So I needed to represent those doubts in the form of Xu.

Please don't kill me for the momma's boy comment!!! I know it sounds _so_ wrong, but that's why it works. I mean, Edea, as Matron, was Squall's only mother figure, unless you count Ellone which I don't. Raine is so far out of the picture that Squall is completely unaware of her existence, what with her dying giving birth and Squall's attachment to Shiva. And Seifer being Seifer, he will twist any hint of vulnerability he finds into an advantage. I also noticed something writing this. Seifer, or at least the Seifer in my story, doesn't like to throw the first punch; or the first swing as it may be. Instead, he's very good at goading his opponent into taking that step. If you think about it, no matter what his command abilities, Seifer would have never been allowed to join the Disciplinary Committee if he walked around starting fights. I makes more sense to me to have his tendency be to goad other people into a fight, therefore he could say with complete seriousness, that the other cadet started it, and he was just doing his duty in finishing it.

One last thing I wanted to mention. When I'm writing about Ultimecia, or Ultimecia in Edea's body, I use the capitalized pronouns. When it is just Edea being referenced, I don't capitalize the pronouns. And before any of you make any comments about how weak and whiny Edea is after being released from Ultimecia's control, remember, she's just escaped from the mental equivalent of prolonged solitary confinement, completely lost track of how long she's been under Ultimecia's control, and is desperate to find out if the one secret she had left is still safe. I wouldn't be strong and composed in her shoes.

"Ifrit's left nut," comes from sexyleon's fabulous story, "sins of the living" possibly one of the most realistic post-sorceress war stories I have ever read. The phrase was so Seifer that I couldn't resist using it.

Please, please, _please _review!!!! I think one of the reasons I took so long to update is that I only received two reviews for chapter 4; I can't operate under such a low level of feedback!!!!!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 6

//\\

Seifer stood silent vigil over Fujin's unmoving body. He'd just relieved Raijin from the task, the only way he could convince the remainder of his posse to finally get some sleep. Everyone was worried about her, given that his silver haired spitfire of a lieutenant hadn't so much as twitched since the confrontation with Edea and Leonhart over two weeks ago. Dr. Kadowaki had no clue as to the cause of the condition, and even less idea of how to treat it, which was more worrying than Seifer wanted to admit. Dr. Kadowaki had been with Balamb Garden since it was founded, treating all sorts of bizarre injuries and ailments that could only come from a facility in which the students were training to be killers. Seifer had lost track of the times he had woken up in the Infirmary after getting injured in a spar with Leonhart, and the doctor's calm, no-nonsense manner had actually become comforting, though Chicken-wuss would have to kill him to get him to admit it. If Kadowaki didn't know what was wrong with Fujin, than it was hard to think of who would.

Honestly, he didn't mind vigil duty for the moment. It gave him a free moment to think away from all the work he'd found himself saddled with. He hadn't realized exactly how much work being Commander turned out to be. He'd had to review all the lesson plans for all the classes, and make suggestions as to how they could be improved in regards to their current crisis, not to mention go over Intelligence reports for the past year at the least to see if there was any scrap of information that could make a difference in the way Garden responded to the next threat. He'd dumped some of that paperwork on Raijin, but though he knew he could trust the quarterstaff user with his life, Raijin just didn't have the head for strategic leadership. He could have trusted Fujin with the Intelligence work, but she was in a coma and therefore unavailable. All that in addition to abandoning his work for at least two hours a day while he kicked monsters around the Training Center to keep himself in shape.

And that didn't even get into the headache Edea had caused when she had given him all the information she could on Sorceress Ultimecia, who had apparently been the one controlling her body as She laid waste to the Gardens and countryside in search of Ellone. Apparently, Ultimecia wanted to trigger something called "Time Compression" whatever the fuck that was, and She needed Ellone's special abilities to do so. The reason She needed someone to act in Her place, was apparently because She lived several centuries in the Future, so far out of reach that it wasn't even funny. How on earth was he supposed to conduct a campaign against an enemy that didn't even live in the same time period as he did? Someone who wasn't even born yet? The prospect gave him a massive headache.

Glancing around the Infirmary, he let his gaze rest on the few cadets still confined to the room. He winced, thinking about the 28 cadets who had died in the defense of Balamb Garden, and the 30 or so others had their careers ended by disabling injuries. True, Balamb Garden had defended itself better than he could have possibly expected, but any self-congratulation he might have felt had turned to ashes the moment the file with the names of the diseased had crossed his new desk. He'd forced himself to read it through, looking at the profiles and memorizing the names. He'd never lost anyone under his command before, which when he thought about it, was a miracle. He should have, and would have during the last exam if not for Leonhart's skills when he'd left his squad to go inform the main contingent about the motive of the Galbadian Army's attack on Dollet. If he hadn't known that Leonhart could look after himself, Tilmitt, and Chicken-wuss, he never would have left them. But that safety net was was gone now, he was at the helm of an entire Garden, and because of that, and the decisions he'd made, 63 cadets would now never have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and join SeeD. Those who still lived, but were too injured to continue their training would have to leave Garden as soon as arrangements could be made.

Hyne's balls, he missed Fujin's sharp commentary, and for that matter, he even missed Puberty-boy's moronic "whatever" to knock him out of this self pity rut. He didn't usually indulge, but when he did get caught thinking himself into a rut, he needed a good knock on the head to get out of it. And there was no one around that would try it. Raijin was far too careful with his strength and had far too much respect for Seifer to even contemplate taking him down a size. Trepe had taken to avoiding him since his promotion, likely holing up with Xu to plot takeover plans or some other such shit. Tilmitt had thrown herself into Garden Festival committee meetings; frankly Seifer wasn't sure if the Messenger-girl even remembered that they were still technically at war. Kinneas had formed his own fan club, and was currently leading them in mock battles against the Trepies when he wasn't blowing every record Balamb Garden's shooting range had to pieces. That only left Chicken-wuss, but if the wimp even tried to get Seifer's head on straight, the gunblader knew that he'd mangle the marital artist, and go right back to brooding.

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. Now he knew exactly why Leonhart spent so much time brooding. Once you started, you just couldn't seem to stop. Then he groaned aloud, but softly to avoid waking any of the sleeping cadets just a few feet away. Just thinking about his rival caused his mind to go onto yet another track, this one of his rival. He couldn't seem to get Leonhart's face out of his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, the image that stared back at him was that of his rival's face, soft in its unconsciousness. It wasn't as if the sight wasn't one he'd seen before, but for some reason it wouldn't leave him alone. And let's not forget the dreams he'd been having lately….

He blushed, averting his face from Fujin's bed, even knowing his lieutenant was unconscious. Thank Hyne for that. If Fujin had been aware, there would have been nothing that could have hidden the blush from her. Seifer swore that the silver haired girl was telepathic and hypersensitive to embarrassing situations or something. Let's not think of the time Fujin had caught up to him when he'd had his first wet dream ever. She hadn't said anything beyond two words, simply "GOOD DREAM?" and there had been nothing he could do to stop the cold sweats that had warred with the heat of his blush that morning. That had to be the one and only time he had ever run from a member of his posse. Now that he thought about it, that dream had been about Leonhart, as had been the majority of similar dreams that he'd had over the years.

'Ok, ok, think of something else,' Seifer told himself, slightly frantic at the directions his thoughts were going. He deliberately went over every spell he had in his arsenal, as well as every GF ability he had Junctioned. The combined list was more than long enough to relax him, so much so that he was only ¾ of the way through it before he passed out.

//\\

Laguna blinked, abruptly startled out of his spirited, well, conversation with Kiros and Ward. Man, he still felt guilty that his long-time friend had permanently lost his voice. Thankfully, Ward had worked out a system of hand signals and body language that made him easily understandable to his friends.

Wait, there it was again. A vague, irritable shifting near the back of his mind, one that he knew was not simply one of his wilder flights of fancy uncurling on its way to his mouth. He frowned, almost in spite of himself. The fairies were back, but why? why now? Before, they had only appeared when something fairly serious was happening, like that disastrous escape from the Centran ruins that had nearly cost Laguna his leg, and had ruined Ward's voice. If the fairies had returned, than did that mean that something was going to happen soon? Hyne, he hoped not. He was enjoying life with his friends, Raine, and little Ellone in peaceful Winhill.

A cautious whap upside the head, not hard, but more than enough to get his attention, made the presence flair with irritation and Laguna to blink hurt eyes up at Kiros. His friend was unmoved due to long immunity to Laguna's best pout and only smirked. "You alright, Laguna? We had to make sure that you didn't wander away from us and get lost in your own head."

"I wasn't lost!" Laguna maintained, one hand rubbing the rapidly vanishing sore spot gently. Everything always healed faster when the fairies visited. Truthfully, that was the only reason they had made it through some of the things they had. "And what was that for!"

Kiros's smirk widened. "Truthfully?" Laguna nodded, wanting to know. Kiros continued. "Nothing really. Ward and I decided that you could use a random smack upside the head to keep you from getting sappy about Raine when you're with us." Ward nodded agreement.

"That's mean, you two! I thought you were my friends, not a pair of closet sadists that get of seeing their friends in pain. And I wasn't getting "sappy over Raine" as you so eloquently put it, and even if I was, that's my business!"

:So, what were you thinking about?: Ward inquired. Laguna promptly redubbed him his Only True Friend, as he had on other occasions in which Kiros was being mean. A blast of impatience from his mind reordered him to the business at hand.

"The fairies are back." He announced. Instead of the confirmation he was expecting, his friends only looked confused.

"Laguna, are you sure? I don't feel them."

:I don't feel them either. Are you sure that you're not imagining it?:

"You two suck. I'm not lying! Don't you feel it?" a closer look at his friends faces told Laguna that Kiros and Ward truly had no idea of what he was saying.

"No, we don't." Kiros said slowly, able to see the truth on Laguna's face just as Laguna could read Kiros's. "I thought that the fairies only came in three's."

:I felt them once when I was working in D-District.: Ward volunteered. When both his friends looked at him in surprise, the big man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment for withholding the information. Laguna let his feelings of doom dissipate a bit. If Ward had experienced the fairies at D-District, when he had already told both friends that nothing of note had happened while working there, there went his theory that the fairies only appeared for life or death moments, which dispelled his apprehension that something was about to happen in Winhill.

Of course, it was always just when he dropped his guard, just when he believed that he was safe, that was always just when things went wrong. No sooner had he accepted that nothing was going to happen, then the first screams began, as Estharian soldiers, all adorned with Adel's red flame, marking Her elite troops, burst onto the small town, searching for one, specific, little girl.

/\

He was going to _kill_ Kiros.

Laguna had forced Kiros and Ward to get ready to go, long before his friends thought that he should be up and moving. He didn't care that he had been badly wounded, so badly that only the enhanced healing and abilities granted by the fairy's presence had saved his life. His little girl was _gone_. Esthar's troops had finally achieved the task they had set out to do, capture the girl who had been marked as a potential successor for their Lady, not caring that while she might not have any remaining blood family, she had adopted family that loved her just as much if not more. In every way but blood, Ellone was Laguna's _daughter_, and he would stop at _nothing_ to get her back.

Though, he hadn't really thought that he would have to do this. "Are you sure that we have to do this?" he asked Kiros somewhat plaintively. 'This' was torture beyond the cruel and unusual kind, particularly since Kiros and Ward were not required to be subjected to his humiliation. A movie director had seen Laguna fight, and for some reason had decided that he absolutely _had_ to have the man in his latest movie. Thus, here he was, wearing flimsy armor, wielding a weapon he had only the faintest idea how to use, feeling far more foolish than usual, about to shoot a movie of all things. It didn't help that Kiros couldn't stop smirking at what Laguna had gotten himself into. This would definitely teach him to pay attention to what he agreed to, if nothing else did.

"Yes, Laguna, we do. Or rather, you _do_ have to see this through. Remember, money for food, supplies and good information doesn't grow on trees. Plus, wasn't it one of your old dreams to be an actor? Well, here's your shot." Kiros was having far too much fun at his predicament. Curse his friend's long memories of times and things Laguna would have preferred to be forgotten. He just knew that he would look horrible. He'd tried to tell the director this, but unfortunately that was after he had absently agreed to do the movie.

True, they did need money. Raine had helped them prepare for the journey as best they could, but there was a limit to how much she could spare and none of them had any idea of how long the chase would take, or how they would get the supplies they would need cut off from the general Army stores that they were used to having access to. Given that they were classified K.I.A to the Galbadian army, they couldn't access any of those supplies they were accustomed to having without being jailed for desertion. Thus, here he was, trapped into filming a movie so they could get the needed supplies to continue chasing after Ellone. Ward was at least _trying_ to be supportive, but Kiros could barely restrain his snickers.

Ok, here goes. Nervously, he gave the unfamiliar weapon an experimental swing, and felt his fingers moving into a different grip than the one he had been using previously. Looking down at his hand, he tried to return it to his previous grip, and failed. His fingers were locked in a position that he had no recollection of assuming. Abruptly, he realized that the slight buzz that marked the fairy's presence was concentrated in his right hand, the one that was holding the gunblade. He was so absorbed in trying to figure out what was going on, that he nearly missed the call for places, and only a light shake from Ward, which meant that it nearly caused him to stumble and fall, pulled his head out of the clouds and to business. He'd think about the strange behavior of his hand later, now he had to concentrate on not making even more of a fool of himself than usual in front of the camera.

//\\

"_Crap_, I can't disconnect!" the frustrated female voice was music to Seifer's ears after having to spend far too long listening to Laguna's moronic drivel, both inside and outside the idiot's head. Gauging the level of frustration in that voice with the ease of long practice, he quickly determined that whoever she was, she was not from Garden, as those females who lived there would use far stronger words than simply 'crap' to vent their feelings.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" he snarled into the black void, any remnants of patience gone thanks to his worry over Fujin and having to watch a long haired idiot nearly kill himself in a variety of stupid ways. It had physically _hurt_ watching the moron attempt to handle a gunblade when he clearly had _no idea_ how to use the difficult weapon. Seifer's professional pride had smarted after that episode.

"What? Oh, Seifer. So you're the one I connected to when I couldn't connect to Squall."

He knew that voice, had heard it not that long ago. Right, Ellone. The girl the Evil Bitch was trying to get Her hands on. With that realization came yet another. The reason he'd been so uncomfortable with her presence when he'd come across what had been his surrogate older sister in Garden, was because of what had happened to Leonhart after Ellone left the orphanage.

"_Ellone_? What the fuck are _you _doing in my head?!"

"I _said_ I was sorry." A bit of embarrassment crept into the older girl's voice. "If it helps, I meant to be doing this with Squall." A note of sadness touched Ellone's voice now. "Not that it matters as it didn't work."

"_What_ didn't work?"Seifer allowed his temper to reign, letting all the irritation of the past week enter his voice. He was fucking tired of having things only half explained. Ellone would give him the answers he wanted or he would rip her a new one for toying with him. That was not a threat.

"I was trying to prevent him from leaving, I was hoping that the influence of you or Squall would be enough to prevent me from being kidnapped and Uncle Laguna having to leave Raine to rescue me!" a small wail. "But it wasn't enough. I guess that I really can't change the past, no matter how hard I try."

Seifer was confused. Really, he was. What did the idiot leaving Winhil have to do with himself and Leonhart? He couldn't help but ask Ellone as such.

"Because he won't be back in time! He won't _ever _come back. He won't be there when Raine gives birth, he won't be there to prevent us from being sent to Matron's orphanage, he won't _be there_ to get to know his son!"

Seifer rocked back on his heels as the import of Ellone's outburst struck him. "Fuck me, are you saying that Laguna the moron, is Squall Leonhart's fucking father?! You got to be shitting me!" though now that he thought about it, it did make a horrible kind of sense. Not he understood the faint echoes of Leonhart that he occasionally picked up in Laguna's features and actions, but Hyne's balls, talk about a personality differential. He'd had both Fujin and Raijin in stitches over his stories of Laguna (as much as Fujin ever laughed anyway) but thinking that the idiot and his rival were actually related took a moment to process. Thinking of his posse, an idea came to him.

"Can you connect me to Fujin and show me what happened to her that made her fall into a coma? Dr. Kadowaki might have a clue how to help her if she knows what happened in the first place."

"Seifer, I can't connect to Fujin. It isn't like connecting to you or to Squall."

"Then _how_ is it different? You didn't have any problems showing me Laguna's journey."

"I meant to be showing Squall that!"

"Why? If you meant to show Leonhart, why didn't you?"

"Because She's blocking me. And if I force the connection, She will find me and I can't let that happen!"

"I don't get what you're whining about; _you're _the reason the Bitch has him in Her clutches to begin with!"

A moment of shocked silence. Right then Seifer cursed the dark void he found himself in. he wanted to be able to see Ellone's face, to read exactly what expression was on her face. He continued the condemnation, deliberately grinding the knife in deeper even as some kinder part of himself tried to make him ease up on the girl.

Screw that. Ellone was the whole reason Leonhart was in Ultimecia's clutches to begin with. His voice made Diamond Dust feel warm as he continued his implacable message. "You _broke_ him. After you left, he cried for nearly a _full six months_; that is, when he wasn't running away from the orphanage looking for you, or fighting with me. After that, he went cold, convinced that since _you_ left, then _everyone_ would leave, that it was better to cut himself off from everyone than to be hurt by the fact that they would leave him behind _again_. Then along comes Ultimecia, in Matron's body no less and with access to her memories, telling him that She's come back for him, and will _never leave him_. How do _you_ think he would respond! Did you even tell him that you were leaving, or did you simply disappear on him without warning?" a brief pause to let things sink in, then he continued. "Not that it matters, but _my_ gil is on the latter. "

Seifer could hear the slightly muffled sounds of sobbing after he finished his rant. He felt slightly better having finally addressed one of his biggest problems with his rival, and even better, had shared it with the one responsible. Apparently Ellone didn't share the same feelings, and was completely overcome by guilt over what she had directly and indirectly caused, clearly crying hard but trying equally hard to keep it quiet. Pangs of guilt began to assail Seifer as well, realizing belatedly that laying the fault of Leonhart's defection on Ellone's doorstep was not perhaps the most cool of ideas. As the sounds of crying began to subside, Seifer awkwardly tried to change the subject. "So, you were saying why you couldn't help Fuu?"

"Right." He could still hear a faint watery quality in Ellone's voice, but as the older girl was trying to move past it, he deliberately ignored it. "I can only connect with people that I am either touching, or have a pathway to. I've had a path to Squall since he was born, and I've had one to Laguna since he basically adopted me. That's why I could connect them."

"Wait," Seifer was a bit confused. "If you have a pathway to Leonhart, then why am I getting the connection that you intended for him? And what does this have to do with Fuu?"

"I'm getting you Seifer, because you have the strongest connection to Squall, that you're the person who mattered to him to most at Garden and before. Pathways aren't just bonds of love, or of family, they can be created any number of ways. Also, a person's individual defenses can influence how the pathways form and who has access to them. I might be able to find Fujin through you, but you distrust me, thus your defenses are raised against me. I can't use you as a conduit. Not to mention, I can't use your pathways as a conduit and connect with you at the same time."

"Ok, I think I'm getting you. You can get to me because Puberty-boy considers me his rival, and that's the strongest bond he's got. But you can't get past me, because I don't trust you and won't allow you near my pathways to my posse. Is that it?"

"Yes. And that's why Ultimecia can't find me through Squall. Subconsciously, he's blocking her from finding my pathway."

"Hold on just a minute. Did you say _Ultimecia_ uses the same types of pathways to spread Her influence?" Seifer was understandably alarmed. Was she saying that Ultimecia could get inside their heads through Leonhart?

"Yes, She does. That's how I've known to avoid Squall's mind ever since She took him over. She got to him from Matron's concern for him, something that likely happened after I…. after I left."

"Wait, let me recap a bit. So you 'connect' people using the emotional pathways between them, something that you need in order to 'find' them, right? Ultimecia takes people over using those same pathways. The reason you can't help Fuu is for the same reason She can't find you through Puberty-boy, subconscious blocking. That right?"

"Yes, and _Seifer,_ I wish you'd stop calling Squall by those dreadful nicknames. That's not nice of you."

Seifer smirked, even though he knew Ellone couldn't see. "I ain't the little boy you helped Matron look after anymore, and you said yourself that Leonhart's strongest pathway is to me. Maybe he likes the names." Then he frowned, thinking hard. "Hey, Ellone, could you connect to Fujin if you had physical contact?"

Even though he couldn't see anything, Seifer could sense Ellone mulling his proposal over. "I guess that might work. Though you would need to be able to find me in order for me to try, is that right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Seifer still didn't trust Ellone, not completely, but the older girl was still the only hope he had to help Fujin. He couldn't see himself letting Ellone near his pathway to his lieutenant so that meant going to her physically. Abruptly, he felt extreme hesitation on the other side of the link and offered some 'encouragement'. "Hey, you help Fujin, and I _might_ just forgive you for abandoning Leonhart like you did."

"Was it really that bad?" Ellone's voice was soft.

"Connect with me and see for yourself." Seifer focused on the slightly fuzzy memories of Squall crying in the rain, the endless cries of "I want Sis!", and Matron's constant worry whenever Squall disappeared from the orphanage. Then came the memories of Squall cold, not playing, not talking to anyone, even when Selphie physically dragged him outside; Squall sitting by himself in a corner, not allowing himself to join in and participate in even his own birthday party. The memories of his rival, stalking through the halls of Balamb Garden, with a permanent, ferocious scowl on his face. Leonhart the Sorceress Knight, on his knees before his Mistress. He could _feel _Ellone's resistance fading, as guilt overwhelmed any paranoia she might have had towards being found.

"I'm in Esthar. Ask for me at the Presidential residence. If I'm not there, someone will direct you to me."

"You _better_ be there." With that, Seifer woke up, almost not recognizing the familiar surroundings of the Infirmary. Once he realized where he was, he hurriedly glanced down at Fujin. Still no change, not that he had expected anything different.

As soon as Raijin returned to take over the vigil, he would head up to the bridge and change course. _Finally_, there was something that he could _do_.

//\\

Esthar was marvelous, in a way that made the little rascal inside Selphie itch to do some mischief. Who knew, a little mayhem just might cheer Seifer out of his funk that he'd been in for _ages_. Seifer may have been an asshole, but he was _her _asshole, and if anyone said differently they'd find Strange Vision up someplace uncomfortable where the sun didn't shine! The Orphanage Gang had to stick together, through thick and through thin! Sure, Fujin and Raijin weren't part of the gang originally, but they had become honorary members through Seifer. Plus, Selphie kind of admired Fujin; just a little. It was strange to see the silver haired girl, normally so strong and so self assured, have to be carried like a limp sack of treasure over the trails to Esthar.

Not to mention that Matron had come along. Selphie had thought that Seifer would throw a fit when Matron turned up at the departure point, citing a need to talk with Dr. Odine, apparently the foremost authority on magic and Sorceresses in the world. She would have bet her salary for the next 5 years that Seifer had been a heartbeat from tossing the older woman off Garden ( from the Bridge while in flight no less) but was unable to deny that it was important to be sure that Ultimecia was unable to take over Matron's mind again. Not to mention, Selphie suspected, that Seifer was far too worried about Fujin to object too much. It was sweet, how concerned he was about his lieutenant, him and Raijin both, but Selphie had far too much respect for Seifer's skills and obvious worry to tease her leader about it. Much.

But, back to Esthar. Whoever had designed the city; must have had a _superb_ sense of style. All the buildings were crazy colors and designs, some were even leaning sideways a fair amount, and it was just awesome!!! Far too often cities were _boring_, one dreary old building after another, perhaps with tacky boring ornamentation if it was important in some way, but not in Esthar! It had _style_! No two buildings were alike, and all looked cool, even from their birds-eye-view as they were swept along on the clear platform. Zell, Raijin, and even Quistis were looking a bit green by the end, Irvine was looking cool as a cucumber, and Seifer looked to be so focused that Selphie doubted that he was even seeing the awesomeness that was Estharian architecture. Which was major suckage, because what was the use of such awesome sights if no one paid attention to them? Maybe they simply didn't appreciate her sense of style, not many did, after all.

Ooh, imagine what that building would look like with the addition of Selphie's Magic # 14? She grinned happily, imagining the carnage that would ensue if the citizen's of Esthar woke up one morning to find a building or two covered in the bright pink goo she had developed in her 5th year at Trabia Garden. The best thing about the goo was, while it stuck to anything and was stable on its own, add a harmless substance like, oh, say, sodium chloride, table salt, and it made the most glorious BOOM! And when most of Trabia's cleaning compounds had salt as one of the ingredients… well, let's say that the Trabian Disciplinary Committee had their hands full whenever she had felt the urge to liven the place up. The best thing about the current prospect of potential mayhem; was that her Magic # 14 would blend perfectly into its environment, where it could possibly stay for years until something happened to ignite it. She gave a happy little giggle at the thought, making Zell, Seifer and Irvine all to give her strange looks and back away from her. Slowly.

Suckers. Oooh, look at that building over there! The building they were coming up to totally surpassed all the others around it, heck, all the other buildings in the entire city for sheer awesomeness. It was big, and it was bright, and, was it, sparkly? Yes it was!! _So cool!!!_ She couldn't stop herself from jumping up and down a few times in happy fangirl mode, uncaring that the sudden movements made Zell finally lose the battle with his stomach and spew the remains of his lunch on the platform. Ewww, at least he'd managed to keep from splattering her…

At least the retching accomplished one task: it brought Seifer out of the funk he'd been in alone the way. Though she had the wild idea that Zell didn't think that was a good thing, given the way the Seifer immediately started mocking the tattooed blond. Selphie listened in unfeigned awe as Seifer verbally ripped the other blond to pieces, Zell giving his best attempts of a comeback, but even when he wasn't sick and miserable he was no match for Seifer in the art of verbal warfare. The gunblader was truly gifted in that department. She really _had_ to remember that line about the feeding habits of farm animals for when Zell stole the last hotdog of the day, _again_. Not that hotdogs had been on Garden's menus recently, given the way that Garden was moving around, the last time they had picked up hot dogs had been in Fisherman's Horizon, and with how popular they were, had only lasted a few days.

And they wouldn't be back on the menu until Garden got back to Balamb. There had been no time to visit the Fisherman's Horizon markets, Mayor Poopy-Pants had made it clear that he wanted Garden and its personnel to stay away from the town when they had left the last time. Given that for all Seifer knew, the only way to Esthar was through FH, Garden had came long enough to drop off the team headed there, before heading to Balamb. Given that Galbadia had surrendered, and was currently in the midst of the beginnings of what threatened to be a civil war, there was no longer a strategic reason to keep Garden on the move. In fact, at the moment, Garden's mobile nature was a disadvantage. Garden needed to start opening up contracts again, while there was still a comfortable chunk of change in Garden's various bank vaults scattered in strategic locations around the world, they needed to start bringing money in soon if they didn't want Garden to be in serious financial trouble later on. Headmaster Cid had command, with by-the-book Xu assigned to be his backup. If clients couldn't find Garden, then neither could contracts. Selphie knew without asking that Seifer didn't want to even try to _think_ about how much Garden's finances had suffered already, what with the expenses of war, the loss of contracts, and the penalty fees for early cancelation of contracts. Thankfully Selphie knew that the Timber contract had been so low-key that there hadn't been a penalty clause included. Likely that was because Rinoa had been so overwhelmingly grateful that the Headmaster had awarded her the contract despite her lack of funds, that she hadn't checked over the fine print. Or had been too stupid to. Either way was a possibility.

Anyway, she was getting off topic. She had a tendency to do that from time to time. Oh, look, they were almost there. And it looked as if they were expected, which was news to Selphie, given that Seifer hadn't told them anything about why they were headed to Esthar in the first place. The big meany. Would it have killed him to clue them in on occasion. They were all SeeDs; they knew how to keep their mouths shut. Well, when it was important. At least, now they did.

Seifer being Seifer; just walked up to the front gate as if he owned it and told the guards, "We're here to see Ellone." They were here to see _Sis_? And Seifer hadn't _told_ them? Ooh, he was _so_ going to get it when they got back to Garden. She was thinking jello in his pillow, shaving cream switched with whipped cream, maybe get some help to make a fake grat and dangle it over Seifer's window when he was just about to go to bed. Something _so_ devastating, Seifer would _know_ the consequences for trying to hide the fact that they were going to see family in Esthar.

And how had Seifer known that Ellone was there at all? The last they'd heard of her whereabouts was with the White SeeDs, a parallel organization that Matron had founded to protect Ellone from Ultimecia. It was unlikely that he'd received reports of her arrival there, given that: 1) Garden Intelligence was still mostly down, 2) the White SeeDs didn't fully trust those from Garden and were well experienced in avoiding detection, and 3) Esthar's borders had been closed for so long that Garden hadn't been founded when the wall of silence went up, which meant that there were no Garden agents in the country, which meant no information going from the isolated country to Garden.

Well, whatever Seifer's sources were, they seemed to be right on the money. The guards didn't protest, simply opened the doors to let the SeeDs and Sorceress in. Selphie hoped that it would take a bit for Sis to be notified of their arrival, well, with a place this big; it would have to take a bit of time to locate one person. She planned to use the time in full, grilling Seifer for details, and haranguing him for leaving them all in the dark.

//\\

I can just _picture_ Selphie as a mad scientist. Giggling like crazy around a lab, cooking up the most outrageous substances that fulfill her inner prankster. Scary thought, isn't it?

Yes, Selphie has fully embraced all the old relationships from the orphanage days. So for her, Ellone is still "Sis", Edea is still "Matron". Seifer however, hasn't, partially because he's grown up a bit more than Selphie, and partially because he still holds both Ellone and Edea responsible for Squall's defection. Not to mention, we all know how Seifer can keep a grudge.

About reader responses to this story, I can frankly say that I'm disappointed. I know I can't force people to review, that everyone has their own responses to it. I'd like to say that my problem has only been with feedback for the last chapter, but it isn't. The past _**3**_ chapters have been nearly entirely snubbed in my opinion, compared to the response gained by the first two chapters. Unless you, my readers, show me that things will change, my motives for writing this story will change. I started this story partly because an intriguing plotbunny bit, but also because I wanted to introduce a scenario that I thought was likely yet was largely (or completely, one of my first reviews indicated that there were other stories with a similar plot, but I've never been able to find them) ignored. I will still continue to write this story, and continue to post it, but will only be doing so because the plotbunny isn't letting go. In short, I will be writing the story for _me_, not for you. Personally, I find that to be extremely selfish, almost a violation of what it means to me, to be a fanfiction author. You may also find that the quality of my updates decreases or the wait times between chapters grow longer because of it. I had tremendous writer's block on this, and when I have writer's block, I can't write this, and I also can't work on my other story that is on hiatus until this story is complete and the bunny lets go. And my responses have been much better for that story. So really, when you don't review, you're essentially slowing down not only one story, but two, and disappointing two very different groups of fans.

Sorry about the rant. Just needed to gripe a bit. I actually meant to keep this author's note short, but one thing led to the next….

Hope to see you next chapter


	7. Chapter 7

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 7

//\\

Seifer was only barely restraining himself from gutting the stupid, pansy-ass flunky that was currently giving him the runaround as to Ellone's whereabouts, but as it had been a very frustrating week, he could feel his control fray each minute he had to listen to the idiot stall, which had been for over an hour. He'd been patient, he'd asked nicely, knowing that while burdened with Fujin's deadweight, they couldn't hope to fight their way out of Esthar. He had to work with these people, and he would. Just as soon as the toady gave him the information he was after. Truthfully, the only reason the idiot was still alive, was because Raijin had stolen Hyperion right out of its sheath and was keeping a firm grip on Seifer's right arm. If it had been anyone else who tried the stunt, Seifer would have killed them without a second thought, but he trusted Raijin and the quarterstaff user was one of the few who could control Seifer through sheer strength alone.

"…it is utterly impossible for you to see Miss Ellone at the moment…" the flunky was saying, all self-important in his ridiculous robes and puffed up manner, no doubt helped by the contingent of guards stationed at all exits to the large room the SeeDs were in. That was the other reason Seifer was behaving; Garden couldn't afford either the money or cadets it would cost to fight another war so soon after finishing one. Not to mention, Esthar's military strength was a complete unknown, given that the country had spent nearly Seifer's complete lifetime cut off from the rest of the world. Those from Balamb Garden could deal with a lot, but not even they could defend themselves indefinitely from a nation's full armed forces without backup. And given that the flunkies stonewalling him got higher and higher ranked, whoever it was in Esthar that Ellone was connected to was located in a very high place in the Estharian Government. Thus the need for some modicum of diplomacy.

Screw that. Seifer felt his patience slip the last remnants of its leash, and before Raijin could stop him, the toady was on the ground, Hyperion back in his hand and dancing above the flunky's jugular, just a hairs-breath from slicing the fat throat. Around the room, Seifer could see in his peripheral vision all the guards make an abortive move for their weapons, before deliberately standing down, obviously well aware of just how out classed they were by the SeeDs, and how much they _couldn't_ do before Hyperion was used. It looked like _some_ people in Esthar actually practiced survival skills. Seifer approved of that, and also approved of the one guard discretely slipping out one door to summon reinforcements. It showed the guards weren't idiots. A whimper below him brought his mind back to one who actually _was _an idiot, one who thought that it was a good idea to play games with a SeeD in a dangerous mood.

"Now, I am going to tell you something, and you are going to listen," Seifer's voice was falsely pleasant, as if he was merely having a pleasant conversation, not holding a very sharp blade to someone's throat. Behind him, Tilmitt had moved with Kinneas to join Raijin at Seifer's back, while Chicken-wuss and Trepe moved to cover the doors. He_ needed_ answers, even if he knew that Trepe would demand an explanation for his behavior later. " I am going to ask you one more time, where do I find Ellone, and you are going to answer me, or Hyperion is going to become very well aquatinted with your throat." His flat green eyes belied the casual tone of voice, holding the gunblade so close to the idiot's throat that a faint line of blood tainted Hyperion's edge, as the flunky swallowed nervously several times.

"Why?" was the flunky's stupid question. Did he really need to have a reason to demand answers? Snorting, he decided to humor the idiot for the moment, just in hopes of actually getting a satisfactory answer.

"You see my friend over there?" a jerk of his head indicated Fujin's unconscious form on a couch, half-hidden behind Raijin's mammoth bulk. "Something happened to her. Until we find out what, our doctor can't help her. And I don't like wondering just what is wrong with one of my friends. You got me?" Hyperion's silver edge gained another red tinge, just as the old one was just beginning to dry. "And I'd stop struggling. Or shivering if that's what you're doing. You wouldn't want my grip to slip, would you?" Seifer let his teeth show in a wolfish grin.

"Lun-Lunar Station. She's there, along with all of our best diagnostic medical facilities, if you can't figure out what's wrong with your friend there, you won't be able to figure it out anywhere on the planet.

Seifer nodded, trying not to let his triumph show. Hyperion moved away from the fat fuck's throat, just enough to relax the flunky who was too stupid to realize his error before the gunblade returned to its previous position. A strange odor wafted up to Seifer's nose, making him wrinkle it in disgust before he smirked at the realization that the smell came from the panicked toady soiling his robes. "Not so fast. Get me to the Station, or I'm going to add a bit of bright red to this tacky décor. You get me?" he asked, with a meaningful glance at Hyperion.

The flunky nodded frantically, likely not noticing the tears coursing down fat cheeks. "Y-y-yes-s-s, I u-u-under-s-stand. I'll arrange for the transport m-m-mys-self."

"Good." Seifer stood, wiping Hyperion off on the soiled robes, uncaring if they stained. They were unusable anyway, what with the way the idiot had pissed himself in them. No need to keep blood on the blade longer than it had to be there. "Get it done. Raijin, go with this little weasel , make sure that he does what he says he will."

No sooner than Raijin had left the room, nearly dragging the still shell-shocked flunky with him, then Trepe pounced. "I cannot _believe _you Seifer! Was there _any_ point in threatening him like that?"

"Yes, there was." Seifer stood his ground. "I needed to see Ellone and got tired of the runaround. End of story."

"But why did you need to see Ellone so badly that you nearly killed someone to get the information?"

"Like I told the pipsqueak; to help Fuu." Seifer stared hard at the former Instructor. "Listen up and listen well Trepe, because I'm only going to say this once. Fujin is one of my posse, and that means that I'd move heaven and earth to help her out. Both Fujin and Raijin would do the exact same and more for me. I don't have to ask them to help me out, and they don't have to ask me. We've been through hell and back for each other, long before the rest of us," an absent wave of his free hand brought the other SeeDs into the group, "got together. If Fujin needs help, then I'll do what I have to do to make sure she gets it. If I have to kill every petty official in from here to Balamb to get Fujin the care she needs, then I'll do just that and have no regrets. The sooner you get that, the happier you will be."

"Understood." Trepe stood down, parhapts realizing that pushing Seifer on this issue was futile. The stupid stand off didn't matter, right not, the only thing that did was getting to Ellone and helping Fujin.

/\

Seifer paid only the slightest attention to his surroundings, despite the fantastic view of outer space and the planet from the various viewports surrounding Lunar Station. The Station personnel didn't pay any attention to him, just moved right on past the two from Garden on their usual duties. That was just fine, the sooner they found Ellone, that is, the less time they spent dealing with idiots who didn't understand what it meant to get in a SeeD's way, much less one on a mission, the better.

Seifer was sure that Tilmitt wouldn't be letting the fact that he and Raijin had basically left the entire rest of the party on the planet's surface in order to take Fujin to see Ellone, go any time soon. There hadn't really been any choice when he'd learned that the travel pods only held a maximum of three people at a time. He'd be hearing her whining over that fact that he'd left the rest of them behind for months at _least_, and that would be if she was in a forgiving mood. He smirked to himself at the thought of that, not to mention the various pranks that the yellow dressed trickster most likely kept up her figurative sleeves for times when she wanted non-serious payback doled out. Serious payback would no doubt take the form of her nunchaku stuffed somewhere painful and debilitating, but hopefully non-fatal, but the copper-haired girl was smart enough to realize that serious payback would be repaid in full, if not double. Not that he couldn't assign Tilmitt some tedious and boring disciplinary measures until the copper-haired girl was ready to drop from sheer boredom. Which would no doubt invite further retaliation…, well, that made the mischief maker that lived in Seifer's mind mentally rub his hands together in sheer glee at the prospect. Bring it on.

He had other things to worry about at the present. While completely _fascinating_, this long involved tour around the Lunar Station their guide was taking them on was delaying Fujin's recovery, never mind that she had been left in the Station Infirmary for the medical staff to look after.

Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, eyes drawn almost against his will to a massive creation of metal and wires located just outside a viewport, blocking the view of the moon. Was that a person inside that thing? Vaguely he/she/it looked like a woman, the extremely long red hair combined with the long skirt were a big clue as to the mystery person's gender, but whoever it was had so seriously overdosed on the steroids, that overdone muscles hid most of the usual visual clues that people looked for.

"Sir, is something the matter?" the official flunky that had been wasting their time on the tour asked Seifer a bit nervously. Hardly surprising, given that he'd spent the majority of the tour so far in stubborn silence, ignoring the various points of interest pointed out on the way. Truthfully, Seifer didn't give a boil on Hyne's ass about the various labs set up to take advantage of the null-G environment. All he cared about was helping Fujin. Though, in this one instance, he'd make an exception for his curiosity.

"Who the fuck is in that thing, and why the outer space cage?"

The guide's sunny disposition dimmed. "That is Sorceress Adel, former leader of Esthar. Part of the main reason behind this facility is to constantly keep watch over and maintain Her prison." She spat as hatefully as she could without ruining her professional demeanor.

"That seems to be a bit overboard for tossing your leader, ya know? I mean, if ya wanna get rid of them, why not just execute or exile them and get them out of the way for good. Prison only lasts so long, ya know?" Seifer agreed with Raijin's assessment. An entire space station dedicated to simply maintaining a prison? In Seifer's experience, governments rarely used the more costly and less effective way of containment, particularly for political rivals. And Adel's claim on the Estharian government had been valid, at least up until She had been overthrown. He'd read up on what Garden knew about Adel after that first visit to Fisherman's Horizon, which, while sketchy (Adel had been overthrown and Esthar had shut its borders before Garden had been founded after all), had been full of reported tales of Adel's legendary cruelty. Add that to what Seifer knew about the Sorceress through the Dream World, and Seifer very much doubted that Adel had surrendered power gracefully, meaning that Her continued existence was an ongoing security risk to Esthar's current government. So why had She been kept alive?

"It's because Adel is a Sorceress." The flunky shared. "Apparently, Sorceresses can't die until they pass their power on to another. Sure, Her continued existence is a risk, but it was judged to be less of one than having another Sorceress running around. That 'cage' as you call it, keeps Adel in a state of suspended animation, neither living nor dead, and She is in space so that no one on earth can find and free Her. Any other questions before we move on?"

"Just one." Before the flunky could do more than blink at the unexpected answer to her question, Seifer had her backed up to the viewport, deliberately in her personal space. Hyperion was still sheathed, unneeded for the moment, but that could change in an instant. Yes, and there was Raijin, carefully posed to shield Seifer's back while blocking the view of the majority of the Station workers from the little drama unfolding by the window. He was getting rather tired of having to use this method of getting information, but he knew that it worked to get answers quickly and easily when he grew impatient with delays. And like he'd told Trepe, when it came to the welfare of his posse, he simply didn't have a conscience. He'd put up with _over an hour_ of stalling on the Station without complaint, he was not going to wait any longer. And that didn't even count the amount of runaround he'd gotten on the surface. He would get his answers, _now_.

"I've been patient." He shared with the flunky, one hand wrapped tightly around her throat until she could barely struggle. "I've put up with this whole fucking tour, and the whole round of bureaucrats back on the surface. I want to see Ellone. Take me to her _now_."

"No need for that Seifer, here I am." Without letting go of his captive, Seifer turned his head, and saw Ellone's smiling face just over Raijin's massive shoulder. Slowly, he let go, ignoring the way the flunky sagged to her knees once he'd taken his hand away. Mental hackles still up; he waved Raijin back, allowing Ellone to approach.

"Ellone." his voice was neutral enough, but his stance and eyes all but shouted a different story, one blatant enough to be easily read even by one untrained in the fine art of reading a potential opponent from the slightest of physical cues. While Seifer didn't doubt that Ellone had picked up some SeeD tricks (she'd had to, given that she'd spent the last 13 or so years of her life with the White SeeDs), it was equally obvious that she hadn't picked up more than the barest of the basics. Her hands were smoother than Rinoa's, which was truly saying something. Civilian or not, she ought to be able to understand the effect he was going for….

Apparently, she did. Ellone winced; good, she was picking up his level of frustration. Now she was paying close attention to him. Closing his eyes for a moment, Seifer took several deep breaths, deliberately chaining the rage for the moment, though he knew it wouldn't hold for long, just enough to keep visions of murder out of his eyes long enough to get things done. The last time he'd felt this level of mad, he'd locked himself in the Training Center for at least 3 hours, and only emerging when he had worked the last of the mood out. No one had yet beat the record for most kills in a stretch he'd set then. Right now his rage wouldn't do any good; it would have to wait for later for release.

Once he had set his instinctive hostility aside (he needed to be able to work with the girl, Hyne damn-it) he met Ellone's eyes, gauging her readiness to proceed. She met his eyes squarely, almost daring him to start something. Well, well, well, it looked like Prissy Miss Ellone had a backbone after all. Good for her. And it looked like she was just as ready and willing as he was to get this over with. Even better.

"So, what do we need to do to get started?" he asked, mock casually with just a _hint _of sarcasm. He knew the fiction didn't fool her for a second, but some appearances had to be made. He did have a reputation, after all. "Do we need to mosey all the way back to the Infirmary, where Fuu is, to do this? If so, you'll have to lead the way, I'm afraid I've gotten lost in all the station nooks and crannies after the _excellent _tour."

"Well, the Infirmary isn't _that_ far," Ellone replied in a similar vein, "but if you have something with you that's emotionally important to the patient I might be able to use that to Connect to her here." She dropped the casual pretence abruptly. "You do know that, while I can show you how she came to be in her condition, I can't bring her out of it with my skills. Do you understand?"

Seifer didn't flinch. "I get you. Do it anyway." He understood that Ellone couldn't bring Fujin out of her coma, he just wanted to know what had happened, so he could keep it from happening again. With that in mind, he thought for a moment. It looked like they would have to go to the Infirmary in person, given that Fujin didn't invest herself emotionally in much of anything outside the posse. Somehow he doubted that Ellone could use Raijin to Connect to Fujin, given that the quarterstaff user would have picked up on Seifer's distrust of Ellone and thus block her from his connection to the silver-haired girl. There wasn't anything that they had with them that was unmistakably Fujin's except…

"Hold on a moment," Seifer said abruptly. Turning to Raijin, he signaled to quarterstaff user to turn around, showing Ellone where the muscle of the posse had modified his staff harness to secure Fujin's chakram across his back. It only took a moment for Seifer to work it free. "Will this work?" he asked, holding the weapon up, careful of the many razor sharp blades. "It's Fuu's primary. She never goes anywhere without it."

"Primary?" Ellone questioned as she gingerly took the exotic weapon. Seifer shook his head to keep himself from laughing out loud at the stupid question. How could Ellone grow up among SeeDs and be so completely ignorant of the basics? And her grip! A first year cadet could have disarmed her with ease if she wanted to hold the weapon that way.

"Primary weapon, take it and get this over with: Fujin's going to murder me when she finds out that I let you touch it as it is." Without looking and with the ease of long practice, Seifer reached up and whapped the snickering Raijin on the head. "Shut up."

"That should work. Let's find a place where we can sit down." Ellone suggested as Raijin got himself back under control. "Connection needs a semi-sleeping state in which to work, so it's best if you're sitting down at least before we begin. Not to mention, I don't want to give you any more reasons to dislike me for knocking you on your ass when the Connection hits, you have more than enough already." She gave a self-deprecating shrug.

Seifer didn't know what to say. She was right, he did already have plenty of reasons to dislike her, even hate her. But he found that while he definitely still disliked her, the hate he expected to feel was absent. Maybe it was because she realized her mistakes, and was now doing everything in her power to fix them, as little as that might be. He blamed his romantic side, the side of himself that had never let him be comfortable around a crying girl. A significant look at Raijin was enough to get the big man to watch over them both while he and Ellone were locked in the trance required for Connection.

It took only a minute to find a seat that allowed Raijin to watch over them without obstructing the flow of traffic in the corridor. After receiving Ellone's assurance that she didn't need to touch him to make the Connection work, he sat at the far edge of the bench they found, and watched Ellone place one palm squarely on the chakram, right over where Fujin normally held the weapon, and close her eyes. Soon, his own eyelids began to drop, and he had to beat down his instinctive reaction to fight the sudden drowsiness. After a minute to wrestle his subconscious into submission, he surrendered to the spell.

When he woke from the trance, there was no time to reflect on what he'd learned, even if he had slightly expected the result. The Station's self-destruct systems had been locked, and there was nothing to be done but evacuate. Just when he and Raijin were about to reach the travel pods, they spotted a slight, space-suited figure sabotaging the clamps holding Adel's cage to the Station. Even with the bulky suit, Seifer instantly recognized who it was: Fujin. Getting to a pod abruptly ceased to be even a consideration, as Seifer and Raijin launched themselves into space to save their friend.

//\\

"What progress, My knight?" Squall felt his Lady's Holy voice in his head, as he'd heard it ever since She had been evicted from the shell of Edea Kramer's body, since She had been reduced to Her pure Presence that occasionally graced him with Her company in his mind. He didn't mind, even though his mind had been his only true refuge for as long as he could remember. She would take care of him, She would guard him and in exchange, he would do whatever it took to fulfill Her goals. Goals that had shifted with the renunciation of Her physical body, and while he would never question Her wisdom, the sheer scope of what She had planned and had kept hidden from him so far was breathtaking.

He didn't mind that She had kept him in the dark for so long as to Her true plans. She had been testing him, testing his loyalty, testing his faith in Her. He'd had a chance to abandon Her, had a chance to turn aside from Her path, and he hadn't taken it. His Lady had rewarded his faithfulness with the knowledge of Her true name, Ultimecia, and Her true plans. The full glory of Time Compression, as his Lady called the spell She planned to invoke, would be realized if he had anything to say about it.

But he'd had to work fast. He'd known as soon as She had come for him again, that Edea, his Lady's former shell, would spill all she knew about Her plans, and that Seifer would do whatever he could to stop them. Thanks to his connection to Her; he'd recovered from his Lady's flight from her old body first, and so had time to leave Galbadia Garden and gather up those troops who remained loyal to Her cause, before the SeeDs recovered and had time to realize he was gone. Excavating the old Lunatic Pandora, an old Estharian research center that had been lost in the final days of Sorceress Adel, former ruler of Esthar whom he'd read about in History class, had taken far less time than he'd thought. Apparently those rebels who had deposed of the Estharian Sorceress, hadn't taken the time to be sure that it was gone for good, a surprisingly careless attitude to have over a mobile research lab that still held the functioning machinery that had called forth the devastating Lunar Cry, an energy beacon that called monsters down from the Moon's surface and had decimated the Centran peninsula, killing hundreds, possibly thousands with the initial event and the years of monster attacks that had followed. They hadn't even taken the time to destroy the dangerous equipment, just the sort of careless attitude he would expect from those who would defy their Lady.

However, that same attitude was the same one that allowed him to easily repair the systems of the Pandora with the mere handful of technicians from the Galbadian Army who had answered his Lady's call. He would still be working on the systems had those rebels been more through, if not having to find an alternate plan for his Lady if the Lunar Cry systems had been completely destroyed. Thankfully, it wasn't, and his Lady could proceed with Her plan as She willed. The loss of life caused by a second Lunar Cry was below Her attention, the Lunar Cry was simply a way for Her go attain something She needed,

"Well? Do you have any progress to report, or do I need to punish you for sloth in serving Me?"

"The Lunatic Pandora is ready for your needs, my Lady. The Lunar Cry systems are fully operational and ready for your word to proceed." He didn't want his Lady to punish him again. She'd only done so three times, but each time he'd sworn to do everything possible to prevent displeasing Her another time. The first time, was immediately after the disaster of a Parade in Deling City, and if he expected the fact that She had just seized power to soften Her blows, he had been mistaken. She had allowed him to take a potion to rid himself of the physical marks when he had gone to interrogate the SeeDs who had provoked his punishment, but a mild one so the pain had not been dulled in the least. He had still felt that pain when he had questioned Seifer, and poured that pain into his rival, had allowed it to fuel his zeal in providing answers for his Lady, in vain hope that She would be pleased with him and not punish him again. That had been a vain hope. He had been punished again, still feeling the first punishment, when the SeeDs had escaped, and She had found out that not only had Balamb Garden survived the missile bombardment, but the missile storage facility had been utterly destroyed, no survivors.

She had rightly blamed him; it was his fault that they had escaped. He had been so consumed with interrogating Seifer, had been so consumed in getting actual answers out of his rival's stubborn lips, that he had put the rest of the SeeDs out of his mind after ordering their weapons stripped from them. If there had been space, he would have separated them, but the prison had been full with conspirators from Timber, those Garden operatives that Her troops had captured while on assignment in Galbadian territory, and political opponents who objected to Her enlightened rule. Even the Headmaster of Galbadia Garden had been there, in his few short hours before his execution. He also had had to plan the assault of Galbadia Garden, had only just received the conformation that the assault was complete when he'd left Seifer's cell. He'd had several million details to take care of at once, but that was no excuse for forgetting Zell's abilities at hand to hand, and carelessly placing all of his Lady's strongest and most dangerous opponents in one spot.

The last time She had punished him, was the worst by far. It was just after She had been expelled from Her body and had to take refuge in his own. There had been no way for him to retreat from the agonizing pain, if at any time he had been in danger of passing out from the sensations, She had yanked him forcibly away from the dark pit where blissful unconsciousness beckoned. No, he didn't want to go through that again. Not if he could help it. He didn't serve his Lady through the fear of punishment (he couldn't even _think_ that when treasonous thoughts could only bring on _more _punishment), but because She had lifted him from the crushing weight of loneliness, from the agonizing sense of being _alone_. He hadn't even realized just how alone he was in Garden, with only Shiva to really keep him company. Sure, Seifer would occasionally bother him for spars, and sometimes Zell would irritate him with his boundless energy, or Quistis would pester him for a date, but he had been alone in all the ways that truly mattered. He couldn't go back, _wouldn't_ go back to that, never again, not when his Lady had come and saved him from a hell he didn't even know he was in, come to him and shone Her Holy light to illuminate the darkness of his existence. He would always owe Her for that, and he hated having debts. Thus, he would serve Her till the end of time and existence to pay up, and never would he flinch from or shirk his duty in the slightest. It would never be enough to repay Her for the gift She had given him, but that didn't mean that he couldn't try.

Deliberately he tried to avoid thinking of what he was about to unleash. When reading up on the historical Lunar Cry, he had roundly condemned Sorceress Adel's decision to unleash it, had been sickened even as a young SeeD cadet by the massive loss of life, the heavy collateral damage in both lives and property that had lasted and continued until several _years_ after the initial event. It didn't matter, not when it was his Lady's plan which he would never think to question, but…

"Do not konkern yourself with the welfare of insekts, My knight" She said, sensing his hesitations almost before he did. "Their lives are worth less than dust in My hands. They matter less than nothing. I need My predekessor, and with where She is imprisoned, the Lunar Kry is the only way to retrieve Her. Do you understand Me?"

There was only one way to respond to that. "Yes."

"Good. Now, My knight, aktivate the Lunar Kry!"

He threw the switch. There was nothing more to be done, nothing could stop the Lunar Cry now. All he had to do was watch and wait for his Lady's predecessor, Sorceress Adel and Her prison to be brought within range of the Lunatic Pandora's cranes. He had no regrets. None. He was following his Lady's will. That was all the justification he needed to do his job.

Then why were his hands shaking?

//\\

"Well, it's just the three of us again. Just like old times, remember Fuu?" spinning around in the cockpit of the totally awesome ship his posse had found abandoned in space and had cleared of stray mosters that had gotten separated from the mass of the Lunar Cry (or at least Seifer _thought _that was what freaky-ass column of energy and monsters had been, the description of the event in the SeeD textbooks had been slightly off), Seifer was just beginning to allow himself to relax for the first time in nearly 3 weeks, ever since the fateful battle with Leonhart and Ultimecia aboard Galbadia Garden, when Fujin had fallen under Ultimecia's influence to protect Seifer. Just the thought of what his loyal Lieutenant had gone through to protect him made his blood begin to boil again. Deliberately, he took a deep breath, than another. Fujin had said that Ultimecia had left her body after detaching Adel's cage before Lunar Station had detonated, and he had no reason to doubt her word. If Fujin said that she was safe, then she was safe, no ifs, buts, or ands about it.

"NOT ABANDONED. KNEW. NEVER ALONE." Fujin confirmed.

Seifer grinned, far more comforted than he wanted to admit to hear the silver-haired girl's unique way of speaking. His posse was together again, all was as right with the world as it could get at the moment. He refused to think of the few remaining imperfections of the universe right now. For the moment, he intended to kick back with his posse and forget his responsibilities, like the way they had before that disastrous Exam, and the subsequent upending of the world and everything he'd thought he'd knew.

"Things just haven't been the same without you around, Fuu, ya know?" Raijin added, only to find himself hopping on one foot thanks to one of Fujin's signature kicks that he could never quite avoid or see coming. The sight was so, so _normal_; that Seifer couldn't help but laugh, laugh so hard that the only thing that was keeping him more or less upright was the chair. Hyne, it felt so good to laugh for a bit after so much worry and dread over what was going to happen next. It was just him and his posse, and so long as they were together he felt that they could overwhelm the world with ease.

Nothing that good could last forever, and the insulated moment of just the three of them was shattered when the radio began to bleep. Frowning at the interruption, Seifer answered it. He would have liked to leave it alone, but the sad fact was that he didn't know how to fly the darn ship back to the surface. Not to mention, those on the ground were most likely panicking at the loss of contact from Lunar Station and were trying every channel they could for status updates.

"This is Esthar Airbase, calling anyone who can hear me. Can anyone read me? This is Esthar Airbase, calling anyone who can hear me. Can any-"

"Yeah, Esthar Airbase, I read you. This is Seifer Almasy aboard the… Fujin, Raijin? Either of you know what this hunk of junk is called?"

"RAGNAROK."

"Thanks, Fuu. Ok, this is Seifer Almasy aboard the Ragnarok. I've got two others here on board with me. As far as I know, all the other survivors of the Station explosion are in travel pods. I believe that most of the Station residents got out ok, but the evacuation was kinda chaotic so don't quote me on that."

"uh… thank you for your report, Mr. Almasy. I believe that you've answered most of my immediate questions. We'll begin preparations to catch the pods as they come down." came the less than collected reply on the other side of the channel.

"Now I've got a question for you, Esthar Airbase. While I can drive most things, they didn't cover spaceships in my classes at Balamb Garden. Care to help me figure out how to pilot this thing?"

"Just one question before I guide you down, would the 'Fujin' you addressed earlier be Sorceress Fujin?"

Seifer's eyes narrowed. "I don't know anything about a _Sorceress_ Fujin. The only sorceresses I know anything about are, Adel, Edea, and Ultimecia."

"Mr. Almasy, please answer the question. Former-Sorceress Edea revealed to Doctor Odine that she had recently transferred her powers to Sorceress Fujin. If She is with you aboard the Ragnarok, you will surrender Her immediately upon landing."

Seifer felt his temper begin to heat. No one told him to surrender his posse to the custody of someone else. _No one._ "And if I decide not to hand her over?" he asked, letting the sarcasm sound loud and clear in his voice.

"Mr. Almasy, I don't know if anyone's told you, but in Esthar, attempting to shelter a sorceress is a high crime, carrying with it the death penalty. It does not matter in the least that you are not a citizen of Esthar, the law is still in effect, and is taken most seriously by Estharian law enforcement. Please answer my question if you please."

"That's _Commander _Almasy of Balamb Garden to you, and-" his voice was cut off by something slamming into the back of his skull, with a force that made a normally hard and solid surface (he'd heard that from nearly everyone in Garden, and it had actually saved his life on a number of occasions) ring like a drum.

"SORRY" was the last thing he heard as darkness closed over him.

/\

It took several minutes for Seifer to wake, with the result being that once he opened his eyes to Raijin's anxious shaking, they were on the surface again, with Fujin nowhere in sight. A glance at Raijin was more than enough to tell him where Fujin must be: his silver-haired lieutenant had turned herself over to Estharian authorities in exchange for mercy on his and Raijin's behalf.

She'd had _no right_ to do that. No right at all. Not when he'd just got her back. It didn't matter to him that Ultimecia's possession and Edea's shaking off of the same had left sorceress powers in their wake, or that sorceresses were Garden's mortal foes. It didn't matter. Fujin was one of_ his_, and he _would_ get her back. He'd come far too close to losing her too many times, had already experienced the ache that came from the absence of a specific presence at his back much too often for any sort of comfort. _No more_.

It didn't take _too_ long to figure out the controls for the Ragnarok, and almost before Seifer knew it, they were cruising to Esthar's main city to pick up the rest of the gang. He'd need more backup than Raijin alone could provide to get Fujin back, and he was not too proud to get back up when it was needed, not in this instance. It seemed to take no time at all to pick the SeeDs still in Esthar up and get to Sorceress Memorial, the location a terrified guard had told them was where all sorceresses discovered on Estharian soil ended up at.

There she was, already caught up in the machine at the heart of the complex like a fly in amber. She looked impossibly delicate like that, the silver of her hair echoed in the machines, smoothing out the harsh lines and angles from her tailored blue shirt and eyepatch. From a purely aesthetic point of view, Seifer could appreciate the sight; but the sight instead filled him with rage. Fujin didn't _belong _up there, she belonged to _him;_ she was a member of Seifer's posse. There was _no reason_ to lock her up; none whatsoever. From the tense silence behind him, Raijin felt the same way.

Hyperion was moving almost before he knew it, slashing through various pipes and wires almost without thought. Raijin was an instant behind him, quarterstaff reducing expensive, specialized equipment to a tangle of shattered metal and sparking wires. It was overkill, but it was needed overkill. It had hurt Fujin, and for that, it would be _destroyed_.

When it was over, the machine shattered beyond repair, and Fujin swept up in Raijin's brawny arms, obviously his worry had won out over his caution over keeping his feelings hidden (not that Fujin seemed to mind the manhandling, given the way her silver head was buried in Raijn's shoulder), Seifer tried to calm the fury still welling up within him. Fujin was safe now, that machine would never be used again, but still his rage would not calm.

Abruptly he ordered everyone out of the Sorceress Memorial, trailing behind as Trepe and the others who had been keeping watch and allowing Seifer and Raijin their opportunity for destruction without interference, chivied those scientists and guards who had watched over the site, out of the building. Once everyone was clear and at a safe distance, he sent the largest, nastiest, overcharged Fira he had ever cast in his life, into the guts of the building, followed by a Helfire or two from Ifrit for good measure as well as several well-cast Thundraga spells from Raijin and inflated the subsequent inferno by a gust from Pandamona thanks to Fujin. The facility went up like a blowtorch, leaving nothing but a burning shell within minutes. The heat was staggering. Several of the civilians fainted from the heat. Seifer was unmoved, watching the flames for several long minutes, letting them consume his rage, frustration, and remaining temper. Finally he turned away, calm for now. Fujin had been avenged, now he had to deal with Leonhart, and Esthar.

//\\

Whooo, Seifer is _pissed. _Frankly, I don't blame him in the least for losing his temper, not with how horribly wrong things have been going for him. Personally, I think that he was doing a fantastic job of keeping it together, but eventually, we all have to blow, and the severity of the blowout is directly proportional to the sum of how long such an explosion has been simmering, and the size of the final trigger. I'm not and have never taken any psychology courses, so don't quote me on that.

Some people have complained to me that I'm following too closely to the game storyline, and I want to address that. The reason that I'm doing it that way, is because that I figure that in both the game and in this story, the same person is giving the orders, Ultimecia. Sure, Seifer and Squall both add on their own interpretations of those orders, but in the end, the orders remain the same. Thus, events will follow roughly the same sequence. However you look at it, the main goals remain the same, even if you have different perspectives looking at a situation. Ultimecia needs Balamb Garden out of the way. Ultimecia needs Ellone. Ultimecia needs a knight. SeeD needs to stop Her. Thus, most of the events portrayed in the game, will happen.

Another complaint I've had, is that Seifer seems to be getting above Squall in nearly every way. Well, in the game, didn't Squall rise above Seifer? At the beginning of the game, Squall is almost more of a bastard than his rival, what with the way he callously disregards Zell's feelings, and Rinoa yells at him for it. I guess my point is, Seifer will always remain a bully. And he will always regard Squall as his rival. Too much of their identities are tied up in that relationship, for one of them to suddenly be elevated above the other. Even if that did happen, they wouldn't notice.

I hope that I've addressed everyone's concerns with this story, and I hope everyone will continue to review. I'm sorry about the late update; this chapter seemed determined to delay and frustrate me with writer's block in every possible way. Sometimes the most I'd get done on this story in a day was a sentence or two, possibly a paragraph if I was lucky. Thank you too all my readers who have waited so patiently for this chapter, and who have followed this story up to this point. I'm not sure I could have pushed through without your support.


	8. Chapter 8

Icicle Knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 8

//\\

Against his better judgment, Seifer found himself in yet another Estharian waiting room, this one for the President's personal office. Much as he might want hold a grudge against the country for wrongly imprisoning Fujin, they _had_ offered a contract and Garden needed the cash. Also, he _intellectually_ understood why they had overreacted the way they had. That didn't mean that he _forgave_ them, oh no, not by a long shot. Esthar had obviously been badly terrorized by Sorceress Adel's tyrannical reign, and had (according to the gossip that Seifer had overheard) only recently erased the final physical scars of Adel's final days. The country had been left in ruins in the Sorceress's wake, much as Galbadia was at the moment, scrambling to recover some sense of government after Edea had ordered the executions of nearly every key governmental figure, and with Ultimecia's quest for Ellone consuming Her, thoughts, hadn't bothered to replace them. The latest Intelligence reports Seifer had been able to look at concerning Galbadia's current situation, showed that the country was divided into a multitude of factions, each one convinced that they had what it took to piece the country back together, and weren't afraid to use violence to prove their rivals wrong. Absently, Seifer wondered if Rinoa and the Forest Owls had survived Edea's Purge. If they had, they had a priceless opportunity now to stage their bid for Timber's independence while the main army was busy holding the country together. That is, if they had the wits to see it as such. He hadn't been that impressed with Zone's or his men's intelligence when he'd met them.

But anyway, just _how_ much longer would they be kept waiting? What _was_ it about SeeD clients that assumed that hired mercenaries never had anything better to do than wait on their client's pleasure to be briefed? Did they feel superior to those whose talents they needed to accomplish their objectives, simply because SeeDs worked for money? If that was the case, Seifer would do all he could to disabuse them of _that _misconception. It would be his pleasure to do so.

Hardly had that thought crossed his mind, then the massive doors barring their way swung open. Giving those with him a wink, at which Fujin snorted and Trepe shook her head, he led them inside the massive office, easily twice the size of his own back at Balamb Garden, decorated in yet more of the horrible Estharian taste interior decorating. There were three people inside the room already, two flunkies who he ignored out of hand, and a third figure who had his back to them and was either having a standing seizure, or having a horrendously complicated argument inside his own head. Seifer didn't know which option disturbed him more.

After about a minute of watching the idiot perform, the President, for that's who it must be, even though he wasn't wearing the stupid robes that seemed to be Esthar's bureaucratic uniform, realized that he had an audience, and turned around, rather painfully introducing Seifer's jaw to the ground. Of anyone in the whole wide stinking world that the President of Esthar could have been, did it have to be Laguna the Moron? Apparently it did.

Abruptly a thought occurred to him, and he made a half turn to take a closer look at the two aides he had previously dismissed as office furniture. Sure enough, dressed in ridiculous robes like so many petty Estharian officials were Kiros and Ward. Where else would they be, if Laguna _was_ the President in truth. The Idiot wasn't wearing those hideously impractical robes after all. Then he snorted at his own thoughts. Knowing Laguna as he did, (he'd spent far more time than he'd ever wanted to literally inside the Moron's empty skull, thanks to a girl with a green shawl that had a taste for meddling) that he'd likely forgotten that he had the robes and had simply worn something comfortable. And it wasn't as if anyone in Esthar would dream of telling their President he was improperly dressed, given that they had been stupid and spineless enough to make him their leader.

The President (he still couldn't think of him as Laguna) rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry to keep you waiting, we had to confirm some of the data before we could be sure of its accuracy." Well, at least that was an acceptable excuse for keeping them waiting. Seifer couldn't count the number of times a mission had gone to hell because of missing or false data in the briefing. The debacle in Deling City at the Parade was just one example. The Idiot straightened up. "Well, it's good to finally meet you guys in person!"

What. The. Holy. Fuck? Something of Seifer's incredulity must have shown up on his face because Kiros explained, "Ellone told us that she occasionally sent some of you guys back into our minds of about 20 years ago." The dark skinned warrior shrugged. "We thought that you were some kind of fairies that were giving us your blessing." The dark face creased in a grin. "You should have seen Laguna's face when Ellone told him differently!"

Seifer could just picture the Idiot's reaction. Amusing as it was, they weren't here to reminisce. They were here to do a job, and Seifer couldn't help but feel as if they were on a time limit. He didn't know what it was, but something was telling him to hurry the meeting up as much as possible without compromising the information.

There was one question that was burning in his mind though, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to concentrate until he asked it. "How the fuck did a disgraced Galbadian soldier end up as president of one of the major world powers?" he addressed the question to Kiros, knowing that Ward couldn't speak and if he asked Laguna himself, then the Idiot would ramble on for hours. It was a risk, ignoring the main client like that, but Seifer knew that a) Laguna was too easygoing to take offence, and b) Kiros was a member of Laugna's posse, that Laguna trusted him with his life, and if there were elements in the story that Laguna didn't want him to hear, then Kiros would keep his mouth shut on the matter so well that Seifer would never know the difference.

"A very long story short, we wound up helping the Adel Resistance take Her out to save Ellone, and once it was all over, Laguna zoned out and absently accepted the job when the grateful Resistance offered it to him. Just how Laguna normally gets himself into things." Kiros's voice was matter of fact, while at the same time glossing over a shitload of details. Seifer didn't press for them. If he had needed to know, Kiros would have told him. The knife master of Laguna's Posse (Seifer didn't think that they had an official name, not like his posse had) had always struck Seifer as someone who he could really have gotten along with, someone with a similar sense of humor and a code of honor that Seifer could relate to. He also knew; that for all the liking, all the similarities, if he made one threatening move toward Laguna, Kiros would have him disemboweled on the floor in an instant, and he couldn't have that. Who'd save Kiros from Fujin if that happened?

Thinking about his silver-haired spitfire brought his mind back to business. He couldn't say just why, but every instinct he had was screaming that time was running out. It was time to get the briefing, and the proposed mission, over with.

"What's the job?" the question was deliberately blunt, deliberately breaking the camaraderie that had filled the air after Laguna's announcement that he knew about Ellone's trips down memory lane. Seifer didn't give a shit, even _if _Trepe gave him dirty looks. He didn't care about her sensibilities, never had, never would, and all the commonalities he may have found with Laguna and his posse, they _were_ the government in charge of making the laws that had sentenced Fujin to Adel's fate. And SeeDs _weren't _hired to make nice, they were there to do a job, a dirty job that other people either were incapable of doing themselves, or were prevented from doing due to inconvenient publicity. The purpose behind the organization might have been to hunt Sorceresses and keep the damage they could do down, but he had to admit, that when he woke up in the mornings, he thought of himself as a mercenary, not a sorceress hunter. That is, when he wasn't trying to banish vivid wet dreams of Leonhart that he tried to scrub from his memory at the first available opportunity.

Laguna straightened up, and Seifer saw a ghost of the soldier he had been underneath the goofball. "As I'm sure you're aware, with the destruction of the Lunar Station, the Lunar Cry and the reappearance of the Lunatic Pandora under Galbadian control, Esthar is in a state of Emergency. All our teams are occupied with containing Lunar Cry monsters and evacuating civilians from affected areas, so that we have no troops to spare to deal with the Lunatic Pandora, and retrieve Ellone."

"She's missing?" if she was, it was news to Seifer. He'd been with her up until it was about time to get in the pods, which had been when he and Raijin had spotted Fuu out in space, and had left Ellone to evacuate by herself.

Kiros nodded, and continued. "Several of the pods that came down were picked up by the Lunatic Pandora crane. The reason we kept you waiting was because we were double-checking with the Airbase staff to be sure that Ellone wasn't in the pods that were still in their possession. It's official, she's in Lunatic Pandora."

Seifer nodded, committing the information to memory. He and Ellone might have their differences, but that didn't mean that he truly wished her harm. "What can you tell me about the forces operating the...Lunatic Pandora, you said? What am I walking into?"

"Most likely some loyalists to Former-Sorceress Edea, Her Knight is in there, we know that for sure. Possibly some techs and some guards as well, no more than 40 at maximum. Take them all out and get Ellone back to us is the job."

Seifer stilled. Did they know…? A look at Laguna told him no, they didn't know _who_ the Sorceress Knight was. Not that he didn't welcome a chance to fight Leonhart, but not having a father had given him some pretty idealistic idea of one. And hiring mercenaries to go after your _only son_, even if you didn't _know_ you were, was _very_ low in Seifer's book. He had to speak up.

"Did Ellone ever tell you anything about anyone named Squall Leonhart?" the question was mock-casual, and drew the attention of everyone in the room. Obviously sensing that the question was important, Laguna thought for a moment, slowly shook his head. Seifer's smirk was predatory. "And did she ever tell you what happened to your girlfriend after you sent her back from Esthar?" again a slow head shake, almost as if Laguna was in a trance. Behind him, just in his peripheral vision, Trepe was shaking her head slowly, almost as if she could see where this was going.

Seifer sprung the trap. "She was pregnant when you left. She died giving birth; the baby lived to be sent to an orphanage with Ellone. They lived there together until Ellone's powers necessitated her removal. He went cold, cold enough to be acutely vulnerable to mental influence." He paused for dramatic effect. "Your son's name is Squall Leonhart, Mr. President, and he's Sorceress _Ultimecia's_, not Edea's, Knight."

"…_no_…" Laguna's voice was horse, obviously not believing Seifer's story. "…_can't_ be true…"

"Ellone confirmed it. According to her, the whole reason for connecting me with you was to give you enough power and strength to be able to avoid having to leave your girlfriend's town when you did, because hopefully you would then be able to prevent her from being kidnapped and thus be able to watch your son grow up." Seifer's smirk wouldn't have looked out of place on a T-rexuar. "Your contract is accepted. Any excuse to beat Leonhart up is a privilege and a pleasure to take advantage of. I bid you good day, Mr. President."

He turned and left, the SeeDs following behind him, various levels of shock on their faces. He didn't have to turn around to look to know that Laguna was collapsed on the ground, head in his hands, with Kiros and Ward trying to comfort him. He didn't know why it felt so _hard _to emotionally brutalize Leonhart's only parent, but he told himself that Leonhart would do worse to his old man without even trying. He didn't know where he had received his ideal image of a family, possibly in between watching Chicken-wuss gush about his mom and her cooking to the envious cafeteria and the stories that Matron used to tell, he'd received an impression that families meant the world to each other, that they didn't leave each other alone. Finding out that Leonhart had a father who had been not only completely unaware of his existence, but ready and willing to kill his son, _shattered_ that ideal. As far as he knew, Leonhart was the only one of the Orphanage Gang with living blood family, even Dincht was adopted, for all his mom babied him.

_Fuck_ blood family. Fujin, Raijin, Garden, and Leonhart were his family. He didn't need anyone else.

//\\

Ellone stumbled as one of her guards gave her a particularly brutal push, nearly sending her to her knees as she was shoved into the room. Once she had regained her balance, she lifted her head, intending to take a closer look at the room she found herself in.

And froze. There, standing right in front of her, was Squall, eyes no more than silver chips of ice. Despite the lack of a fresh bandage across his brow, he looked much worse for wear than when she'd first seen him in the Balamb Garden Infirmary. The fur collar on his leather jacket was no longer a pristine white, but was thickly stained with blood and other fluids to create a medley of several dirty-looking colors around his neck, his shirt was ripped and stained beneath the jacket as well. His skin was paper-pale, bringing the dark purple shadows beneath his eyes to unnatural prominence. But for all of the glaring physical weaknesses that jumped out at her, his grip was as strong and solid as ever on that strange gunblade that she didn't remember being in his possession during his days at Garden, and those fever-bright eyes shone with purpose.

She quailed at the sight. According to Seifer, it was rare for Squall to show _any _emotion, but the sick light that burned in his eyes would have made her cringe even if that wasn't the case. Those eyes screamed obsession, the kind that Uncle Vincent, Uncle Laguna, and even Terrence had all warned her about and had all done their best to shelter her from. Seeing that light in Squall's eyes, in the eyes of whom she regarded as her precious baby brother, nearly destroyed her.

They stood staring at each other as the silence became uncomfortable, and the weight of the lost years pressed down hard on her shoulders like a physical weight. In her mind, Ellone heard Seifer's accusing words again, saying that _she_, Ellone, had been the one to drive Squall to this place. That _she_ was ultimately responsible, that if she had never left, then Ultimecia would _never_ have been able to get her claws on Squall. The worst part about Seifer's rant was that he had been _right_. She had left the orphanage without a single word, had been convinced that it had been best to make a clean break, that it would have been kinder to Squall to leave without saying goodbye. She should have known better, she had _known_ how dependent on her Squall had been, but at the time she had been a scared little girl, terrified by her very first Connection, of the things that she had seen happening. She hadn't protested when Uncle Vincent had taken her away that night; hadn't even left a note or kissed Squall goodbye. There hadn't been time for either of those things, she knew that, but Seifer's memories of how Squall had coped, or had not coped, with her absence had been _heartbreaking_. And while she knew that Seifer was hardly an unbiased source, she also knew that he cared for Squall, and that in his own way, Squall cared for Seifer in return.

Though, now that she thought about it, there seemed to be more to the relationship between the two boys than a mere rivalry. What had happened to Squall had seemed to be a personal offence to Seifer for some reason, and frankly, from the flavor of Squall's pathway to Seifer, she'd honestly thought that Squall felt genuine care, as in the care one felt for a lover, for the headstrong blond. And she couldn't help but notice (in an older sister glee kind of way) that some of the memories of Squall that Seifer had shared with her were focused on parts of Squall's body that had nothing to do with rivalry. She didn't think he knew that she noticed.

Looking at Squall, and comparing what she currently saw to Seifer's memories, she saw more than she knew she was meant to, or liked. Sure, Squall had always been cold, standoffish even. That didn't compare to the freezing burn he emitted now, as if he were frozen so deeply that the slightest touch would burn like the hottest flames, or shatter him into pieces. Sure, Squall always had looked slightly unhealthy, now he looked as if only stubborn will was keeping him upright, that if anyone else had pushed themselves to the extent that he had, they would be passed out from sheer exhaustion, or dead. It looked like…it looked like Ultimecia was _feeding_ off him, draining him of his vitality in order to accomplish Her plans. And all of it, indirectly, was her fault.

She _had _to say something, _anything_, to break this awful silence. She had no idea of exactly how long she'd been standing there, as Squall hadn't moved throughout the entire time to give her a frame of reference. Normally that would indicate (at least from what Uncle Vincent had taught her) that not much time had passed, but Ellone had a feeling that that conventional wisdom didn't apply to Squall. Thanks to the computer access Cid had given her while she was at Garden, along with a limited security clearance, she knew that Squall could remain motionless for nearly two hours straight and still be fully combat capable and able to react to a threat in less than a second after it presented itself. She could hear the guards shifting behind her, but couldn't take her eyes off Squall for a second. She was pinioned by Squall's cold, silver gaze, unable to move or look away.

"Hi, Squall." She couldn't stop her voice from wavering. "Allot has happened since I saw you last." There was so much more she wanted to say, wanted to ask him. Questions like, how had he been, why was he following Ultimecia, was he eating right or sleeping well, all the trite little questions that an older sister could ask, and none of them could get past her throat, locked by the awful knowledge that she no longer had the right to ask them, that she'd forfeited her right to ask questions about Squall's life when she had abandoned him so long ago.

"Ellone." He recognized her. Or, perhaps Ultimecia had told him who she was. No matter. He knew who she was this time, and had actually responded with words, or at least, a word. Now that she thought about it, this was the first time she had heard his voice since he was a little boy, and that knowledge shattered still further the broken pieces of her heart. There was so much she had missed. His voice suited him, a smooth tenor; that still showed its beauty despite the flat tone.

Abruptly she flinched, shattering the brief moment of connection. Squall's eyes briefly flashed gold, and not just any gold, but the gold of her childhood nightmares, the gold she had seen in her first Connection that had torn her away from Squall. Behind those golden eyes, so wrong for Squall's face, blazed mindless lust, fury, victory, and such a look of possessiveness that Ellone felt vaguely dirty, and reflexively hiked her shawl higher around her shoulders, as if to shield herself from that probing gaze. Then it was gone, leaving her so unsettled that she nearly missed the slight assenting nod that Squall gave to someone she couldn't see.

Her blood ran cold at her adoptive brother's next words. "Take her to Adel." Rough hands grabbed her shoulders, leaving bruises as she was yanked from the room and pushed to her next destination. She didn't notice, still slightly numb over what she thought she'd heard. There was no _way _she's heard that right, Squall _couldn't_ have meant what she thought he did, he just _couldn't_. Mindlessly she fought, as she was pushed up staircases, and pulled down corridors, far too panicked to recall the self-defense training that Terrence had drilled into her. Just the thought of the Estharian Sorceress brought up all the remembered terror from her childhood kidnapping, as well as that _horrible_ day, that she could still vaguely remember, that day when whispers of her differences, differences that had been mistaken for the first stirrings of Sorcery, had brought Estharian soldiers down on her parents farm, leaving her an orphan.

Her terror only increased when they finally arrived at their destination, roughly shoving her into the room. There, right in front of her, was Adel, still entombed in the cage She had been in for nearly 20 years now. This was Ellone's first real look at her childhood tormenter; she'd never been able to muster up the courage to look at Her during the few days she was aboard the Station. She still looked exactly as She had in Ellone's memories, not that she truly expected anything different, given that the sphere She was imprisoned in kept Her trapped in suspended animation.

All of Ellone's mental processes seemed to shut down all at once as Adel abruptly opened Her eyes. She didn't notice that she was free, that the guards had all melted back as far as the limited space allowed them to. She didn't see Squall, standing like a black and silver statue near the controls of the sphere, as he had been the one to disengage the stasis function enough for Adel to wake up. All she knew was that she was 4 years old again, an orphan, ripped away from her beloved foster parents, scared by rough-handed soldiers, and shoved into the presence of the most terrifying person she'd ever seen in her short life. She'd thrown up then, right on Adel's skirts, she recalled with amazing clarity. She was so trapped by her memories, that she nearly didn't see Adel slowly ripping Herself free of Her restraints, all the better to pounce on Ellone's fear-prostrated form.

She came back to herself when Adel finally broke free. There was nothing she could do but scream, the high desperate scream of a small child at her limits of terror, desperate for a sympathetic adult to come running and make everything alright again. She screamed, like Uncle Vincent had taught her to do if she found herself in trouble, and he'd promised to come running if he ever heard her do so. Terrence had made the same promise when he had taken over the White SeeDs. Only, neither of them would be coming this time, this wasn't Balamb Garden's training center, this was Esthar, far from Terrence's ship with all the kids and her friends, that she'd left behind without even a look back to say goodbye, so sure she'd been of Uncle Laguna's protection. She couldn't get away, Adel was getting _closer_-

Her thoughts blanked out as Adel absorbed her into the Sorceress's body.

//\\

Seifer let Hyperion's point sag to the floor following Adel's defeat. That had been a tough fight, given not only the danger of Adel's spells and stamina as a Sorceress, but also by the fact that they were hampered by the need to keep Ellone alive while they were hacking Adel to bits. Summoning GF's for assistance had been nixed, because there was no way to fine-tune a GF's attack to have it hit only Adel, and leave Ellone alone, the same went for most of the limit-breaks and most spells as well. In the end, it had mostly come down to having the more-magically inclined cast healing and protective spells on the fighters who had to get in close and hack the redheaded Sorceress to bits. It had been long and nasty fight, Seifer had had more than a few close calls before Tilmitt or Trepe hit him with a Cure or a Phoenix Down, so he could keep fighting.

But eventually, the inevitable happened, and Sorceress Adel finally lay dead and cooling at their feet, Her power passed on to Fujin, already a sorceress, and who looked slightly disgruntled about the entire idea of being the receptacle of power so that Adel, and possibly in the future (in more ways than one), Ultimecia could be stopped for good without inflicting those powers on some unsuspecting soul.

Ok, let's recap. Mission: to retrieve Ellone from the Lunatic Pandora (which Seifer still thought was a stupid name). Mission complete. Ellone was in their custody; Adel had been stomped for good as a bonus. On the surface, things looked pretty good. While he may have traumatized the President of Esthar while imparting the knowledge that his son was a Sorceress knight (and it wasn't as if the Idiot hadn't needed a kick in the pants anyway), Garden would be receiving quite a hefty sum for the retrieval, which could start to go to the deficit in the treasury caused by repairs, replacement weapons, and canceled contracts. Everything was going well.

But. The little hairs on the back of Seifer's neck had decided that they wanted to dance, and indicated that desire by standing straight up. He couldn't keep his eyes from perimeter sweeps, even knowing that most of the guards were dead by now. The few that hadn't been guarding the access hatches and had since been slaughtered as the SeeDs made their approach, had been in the chamber with Adel, who had killed half of those in the room with her before the SeeDs came and decimated those remaining in the struggle with Adel. If any had survived both Adel and the SeeDs, they were most likely to be too shell-shocked to put up any kind of threat, certainly not in the level that had all his instincts _screaming_ at him. So who was left…. his mind went over the estimates of Galbadian forces that they were expected to encounter. Who were they missing…?

When the answer hit him, he cursed himself with all the fluency he could muster. _Leonhart._ Squall Leonhart was still unaccounted for, and it was his own fault for forgetting that they would have to go up against him again. Hyne's fucking balls and Ifrit's left nut, hadn't the lure of another fight with Leonhart been the main reason that he had accepted the contract? Anyone who knew him well, would have known that the instant he had heard about the possibility of going up against Leonhart, had also been the instant that he'd committed himself fully to the proposed mission. Fighting with Leonhart carried with it not only the prospect of fulfilling their rivalry, but also encompassed Seifer's secret desire to free Leonhart form Ultimecia's control. Even though he'd told Leonhart that he would be coming at him with the intent to kill through the idiot officer in Balamb, he hadn't meant it. He'd _known_ from the beginning that Leonhart had been mind controlled, Hyne's balls, the Bitch had tried to take _his_ mind first, and when he'd resisted, She'd taken Leonhart as the next best option.

But those thoughts didn't do him any good now. His whole mind tried to work out where Puberty-Boy might be hiding. He could send someone to scout out other rooms and corridors in the Lunatic Pandora, but his instincts told him that Leonhart was close by, as in, in the same room. He didn't have to look to know that Fujin and Raijin had noticed his sudden wariness and would have alerted the others to keep their guard up. Not that Kinneas, Trepe, Tillmit, and Chicken-wuss wouldn't have noticed eventually, well, Tillmit and Chicken-wuss could be a bit thick. Chicken-wuss because he was a moron, and Tillmit would be the first to admit that she occasionally had focus issues. At least she was aware of the problem and was working on correcting them. And at least she did try and correct her faults, well, some of them at least, which was more than Seifer could say of some SeeDs he'd known, Xu for example.

He didn't have time to be distracted like this. Not for the first time, he cursed Leonhart's almost preternatural stealth. It was no exaggeration to say that the silent brunet could sneak up on _anybody_ whenever he pleased, no matter where he was, or how much black leather _didn't_ blend into his surroundings. More than one Instructor had actually gone looking for the delicate-looking boy, only to get the shock of their lives to find Leonhart standing directly behind them. Even their stealth and tracking Instructor had fallen prey to Leonhart's ability to remain unseen. It was almost uncanny. _No one_ could find Leonhart when he didn't want to be found, was the commonly accepted wisdom at Garden, and yet Seifer must try, if only because he was in a situation where Leonhart was still the enemy, and not just the enemy of Garden, but the enemy of the Client, which meant that Seifer must find him at all costs, and defeat him.

There were several shadows that looked as if they might be likely hiding places. He had already checked them, but thought that it wouldn't hurt to give them one more sweep before crossing them of the list of potential hiding places in the room, of which there were far more than Seifer was comfortable with. Moving closer, he abruptly found a distinctive blue gunblade in his face, while startled sea-green eyes found a pair of glowing silver.

/\

Inwardly, Squall smirked at still being able to surprise Seifer. Really, the blond was far too arrogant for his own good, which meant that surprising him was both easier and much more satisfying than his rival knew, as the blond was so certain that he was the best, that he never bothered to pay attention to the progress of others. To be fair, and right now Squall had no intention of being fair, Seifer _was_ better than the vast majority of those who passed between Garden's doors, but that didn't mean that it was impossible to best him. On the contrary, Seifer's myth of invincibility made those who would challenge him, like himself; that much more determined to best the blond.

As he was determined to do so now, with so much of his Lady's plans at risk with the arrival of the SeeDs. Seifer and the others had killed Adel much too soon, before the redheaded Sorceress had been able to link Ellone's mind to Her own, forcing his Lady to abandon his mind prematurely, in hopes of using Her lingering connection to Adel's spirit to force the completion of the link She needed in order to cast Time Compression.

Abruptly, he hesitated, and knew as he did so that Seifer would be able to see that hesitation, even if it was entirely in his own head. Right now he didn't care about Seifer's abilities to read him, as annoying as it was. The sheer audacity of his own thoughts shocked him, but they refused to go away. For an instant, his mind presented him with examples of the devastation that happened when he followed his Lady's orders: the ruin that had been Trabia Garden, the scenes of slaughter from the Lunar Cry that a foolish technician had dragged up with the Lunatic Pandora's sensors, Ellone's screams when Adel absorbed her. The shock, and the horror at sights and sounds that he had directly caused on his Lady's orders was still fresh in his mind. He had been the one to give the order to destroy Trabia Garden. He had thrown the switch to activate the Lunar Cry. He had operated the controls that had freed Sorceress Adel from her cage, unleashing the Sorceress on who he still regarded as his big sister, the one who had held him on nights when the monsters that lived in the Lighthouse came too close to his window. And what had he done to repay her for that service? Fed her to a nightmare of her own.

All of what he had done had been on his Lady's orders, but did that eliminate his responsibility? He'd be worse than Seifer as his most thoughtless if he told himself that it didn't matter, that his Lady had given him his orders and that he'd had to obey them. His face would be the one mocked and reviled through history, his would be the name linked most strongly to destruction, given the simple fact that his Lady was completely unavailable to the vengeance of the mob due to the small matter that She did not completely exist in this era. Perhaps She was even now laughing at his attempts to serve Her, and had known that he would fail even before he had begun. She had access to that history that was still being written for him after all. Maybe, Her punishments weren't merely reward for failure, but signs that were clear to Her that there was no way She could win.

He visibly flinched at that thought, expecting a shower of agony that was Her retribution for disloyalty, that didn't come. That's when the realization truly struck, that She had _left_ him. He had fulfilled all the tasks She had for him, now Her focus was on Ellone as the one person who could unleash Time compression. She didn't truly need him anymore. _No_, She couldn't have abandoned him; She had _promised_ that She would never do so. He _needed _Her, even if She no longer needed him. She _couldn't have_…

Abruptly he leaped on Seifer, Lionheart nearly decapitating his startled rival. His Lady's gift, the symbol of Her faith in him… This _had_ to be a mistake; he was merely coming to absurd conclusions due to unexpectedly seeing his old comrades from Garden. He ignored the small voice in his head that told him that he had seen them before in his Lady's service, and never questioned his Lady's faith in him. With the ease of long practice, he fought, forcing all his concentration into the duel and away from distracting, impossible thoughts. It _couldn't _be true…

/\

Seifer could read the war behind Leonhart's eyes, even though his rival's face never twitched, at least as well as it was possible. He'd seen the guilt flood the brunet's eyes, seen the wrestling between duty and honor, the way the cost of simply following orders flooded that silver-blue gaze. He'd deliberately held himself still through it all, had stifled his own urge to add a few words that might help Leonhart find his way through the emotional quagmire that resulted when obligations, and principles, and Garden training all collided in ways that weren't healthy in the least for the inexperienced mind.

And for all of Leonhart's preparation, both physical and mental that he'd received at Garden, in many ways, he was truly still inexperienced. That was partly the reason why he'd forced his way onto a train to Timber, after breaking out of a Garden Detention facility. The Timber mission had been too much for Leonhart's first mission, in more ways than just one. But try telling Squall Leonhart that something was too much for him; he'd just go out of his way to prove you wrong. Just look at the way the little bastard took up and mastered the gunblade, just to spite the Instructors who'd told him that someone like him had no hope to Hyne of mastering such a difficult and heavy weapon. The brunet was the most contrary little bastard Seifer knew, and being a bastard himself (and was mightily proud of it to boot), Seifer knew what he was talking about. That was why he kept his mouth shut and let Leonhart's own mind come to the conclusions that he could see in Leonhart's pretty doll-like eyes without any assistance from Yours Truly, knowing that anything he had to say would only hinder, not help, the efforts of Leonhart's subconscious to free himself from the Bitch's spell.

Even while being able to read the deceptively slender boy better than anyone in Garden (or very likely, the world), Leonhart's surprise attack caught Seifer off-guard. Using one-handed signals, he spared enough concentration to tell the others not to interfere, that he'd handle Leonhart alone. Then he returned the full force of his concentration to the duel, for duel it was. It reminded Seifer, almost hysterically; of the duel they had fought to prove to each other who was the best, going into the Exams, which seemed so petty and insignificant now. According to their rules, Seifer had won that duel by drawing first blood, no matter that Leonhart had immediately returned the favor by slashing his own brand into Seifer's face as a thank you, the other boy had then fainted, thus giving Seifer a double victory. He had a feeling that Leonhart, no, _Squall_ had too much confusion, pain, and rage to let out to let rules dictate winning and losing for him. He would fight until he fell over, or until someone died, and _that _was the primary reason why Seifer refused to let anyone help him. All backup would do in this duel, would simply cause unnecessary casualties and fatalities, for Squall to angst over when he came to his senses.

Which seemed to be a long way off still, and Seifer would be the first to admit that he was getting tired, pride be damned to Ifrit's hell. Facing Adel hadn't been a picnic, and there hadn't been much time in between that fight and this duel to chug a potion or two to get his energy back up. In contrast, Squall seemed just as fresh as when he'd begun the fight. This couldn't go on much longer. If this progressed, he'd have nothing left to face Ultimecia, which he had to do, if only to make permanently sure that that Bitch was no longer able to enslave the one person in the world that he considered to be his equal.

He shot a Fira at Squall, and while the brunet was still off-balance, cast Draw. He wasn't expecting much, had really only cast it to find out if Squall was using magic on himself to keep up that level of a workout without faltering. If so, he wanted some of it for himself. Instead, he felt the icy numbness of Shiva enter his mind and by her sheer presence, cause problems with his Junction link to Ifrit. He just had time to hear Squall scream, actually _scream_, "_NOOOOOO!!!"_ before the world imploded and everything went black.

//\\

next up, Time Compression, and the Final Battle. Whoot, thanks for sticking with me all this long way. I have to say, writing this story has been really fun, more so than I expected, and it's been interesting crawling inside Seifer's head. He's always been my favorite character in FF VIII, so learning how he thinks and what makes him tick has been really an enjoyable experience.

"Uncle Vincent" is the former leader of the White SeeDs, and doesn't have any relation to Vincent in FF VII. I needed a name, as well as a name for the current leader, given that he's never named in the game. But Ellone needed names to call them, given that she's lived the majority of her life with them, so I picked both names out of thin air. No comparisons with anything you might come up with are intended.

Squall's starting to pull away from Ultimecia on his own, something that had to happen sooner or later, at least from my point of view. In the Game, Seifer admits that he's his own man by the time you fight him in Lunatic Pandora. Squall on the other hand, is still very much his Lady's servant. And I think that inside his icy exterior, he's a very sensitive, intelligent, and compassionate young man, look at the way he _didn't_ strangle Rinoa even at her most annoying? Blind faith only can take you so far before you wake up to what you're doing, and I wanted Squall to have that moment.

Thanks again for sticking with the story all this time. Please review (I cry when I don't get reviews). I'll see you again in chapter 9


	9. Chapter 9

Icicle knight, fiery SeeD

Chapter 9

//\\

When he came to, Seifer felt reality fracture; saw the world shiver, then shatter as Time Compressed with astonishing rapidity. He was climbing, and he was falling, all at the same time, feeling the cool, thin air on his face from atop a mountain peak, while his shoes squelched in the serf along a beach. The world was collapsing, falling in on itself until nothing was left but Her.

His innate stubbornness forced him to disregard the changes, forced him to start and keep moving, no matter what dichotomy his mind forced upon him. One thought ruled his mind: stop Ultimecia. Stop the Bitch who wanted to Compress Time for a lark, or a joke or some other incomprehensible shit, and used Leonhart as no a way to acquire what was needed, thoughtlessly discarding his rival when She had what She wanted. He didn't question how he'd known that Leonhart had been abandoned; the look in his rival's eyes during their last fight had nearly shouted the knowledge to the four winds. She had also been the ultimate reason that Fujin had nearly been frozen like the Adel had been, and for his rival, for his posse, he _would_ make Her _pay_!

He didn't have to look back to know if he was being followed. Fujin and Raijin were covering his back , just like they always did, followed by the stubborn brightness that was Tilmitt, who was only just ahead of Kinneas's lazy presence, while Trepe and Chicken-wuss brought up the rear. Everyone fit into their comfortable places, so aware of each other by that point that everyone instinctively knew exactly how each of the others would move at any given circumstance. It was_ not_ blind obedience, (which Seifer privately held to be worthless) but it was trust that went down to the bone, despite all the endless teasing and sarcastic commentary.

For example, Chicken-wuss might not trust Seifer with his self-esteem, but he did know that he gunblader would find a way to get them all through the coming battle safely, or die trying; and thus trusted the taller blond with his life. Trepe's last objections to Seifer's leadership had been silenced long ago in Garden, when the stubborn blond had enlisted her help to save Garden students from his own temper. Tilmitt apparently had been shamed by Fujin's belief in Seifer during the destruction of the missile base, and now forced all of her considerable energy into not letting him down again, while Kinneas's loyalty had been sealed in a solitary clock tower, when Seifer had stabilized the gunman's shaky nerves enough for him to do his job. For Fujin and Raijin, their loyalty had been sealed from the very first moment they had met Seifer. Fujin had been with him from when he had stood up to several upperclassmen that had been teasing her about everything from her way of speaking to her eye and hair color, Raijin since Seifer had helped him to defeat a high-level monster in the Training Center that he'd run into, one that an absent-minded Instructor had programmed and forgotten to personally destroy.

Nothing mattered in the face of that loyalty and trust, not the gravity fluctuations, not the flashing colors that made up what Seifer assumed to be the skies, not even the fallen SeeDs that periodically appeared, than became graves that were increasingly aged, until every last trace of them was gone. He knew what those graves meant, that those were remains of SeeDs, following in the footsteps of those from his era, who had fallen fighting the Sorceresses, or _the_ Sorceress as it might be. Who knew how long Sorceresses lived? Matron seemed scarcely to have aged since Seifer's admittedly dim memories of the orphanage. And who knew just how long Adel's reign had lasted? Information from Esthar was still at a premium, given that the country still hadn't officially opened its boarders yet. Though that might change soon, given the devastation that had lashed Estharian territory from the Lunar Cry. The country just might open up in order to accept what international aid was available, though there might not be that much to spare, given the sorry mess that Ultimecia had left everything in. Just one more reason to take Her out.

One thing that he deliberately did _not_ think about was Leonhart. Leonhart; who had been screaming, actually _screaming_ at the loss of Shiva when Time Compression had hit. He _couldn't_ think about what that meant, not now. He had to concentrate on finding Ultimecia, and taking Her head as a trophy to hang in his office. He liked that thought, now that the idea occurred to him. He could make it a tradition, the severed heads of slain sorceresses lining the Commander's office, would certainly give the clients a shock as they came in to negotiate contracts. His grin turned feral at the thought. Then it died, as the realization came that if he did actually go through with the planned decoration scheme, he would have to add Fujin's head to the wall as well, and he would put his own up there before he did that to one of his posse.

Enough of this rambling. He pushed through, never hesitating, never blinking even when monsters of the various eras attacked them, not even when they had been forced to do battle with not one, not two, but three sorceresses, all from different time periods. Thankfully, Fujin had been with them to catch the powers of the fallen. There had been no need to worry about those powers finding a new host, one that could possibly make things difficult for them on the return trip. That is, _if _they were returning.

Seifer abruptly shook his head, dislodging the stupid speculation. If they died, then they died. He couldn't afford to be anymore sentimental about the coming battle than that. If he started worrying now; than that would affect his focus, possibly enough to make his fears a self-fulfilling prophesy. They were all SeeDs, at the top of their craft. They could take care of themselves. But even if they couldn't, even if they all died in the attempt, if they managed to take Ultimecia down with them, Seifer would still believe that they had succeeded.

Enough. He forged ahead, stopping only when the chaos of Time Compression abruptly stopped, leaving them in the only remaining stable time period, Ultimecia's.

//\\

"So, tell me again what can't we use anymore." Seifer's voice was flat, but resigned. Fujin thought that he was probably kicking himself for not having realized the extent of the traps Ultimecia had laid for Her surprise guests. Their initial repulse from Ultimecia's castle no doubt had to be hard on Seifer's pride, but it had been the right decision to retreat and plan a better course of action than stumbling around and getting killed, given that the majority of their skills were largely useless inside the castle, and those that were left, were insufficient to defeat what lay inside. She was doing some kicking of herself as well. Leviathan's Scales, she had _hosted_ the future Sorceress inside her own body, surely she ought to have known _something_ of Her plans, if only due to sheer proximity? But now wasn't the time to think about that. Seifer had asked for a report, and she meant to give him one.

"LIMITS. ITEMS. GFs. MAGIC. DRAW."

"Right." Seifer sighed. Fujin could see that he was trying to think up a way to get them out of this fix in a way that didn't involve giving up and surrendering. She knew as well as he did that since they'd come this far already, then they might as well see this through to the end. But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with an answer. "Ok, anyone have any bright ideas on how to beat GFs without any of those things? Because I was under the impression that to do so was suicide." A beat of silence. "Come on, people, I'm ready and willing to entertain any suggestions, doesn't matter how stupid or insane they are: I need options."

After a brief moment of silence while everyone thought, Selphie spoke up. "Well… " and her voice was timid, as if she was sure that her suggestion wasn't going to work. "Our weapons still work, don't they? Why don't we try and just cut one of them to pieces?"

Fujin shot her a Look. As much as she respected the Trabian SeeD's skill with spells, there were times when she found dealing with the hyperactive girl trying, like now. Going up against a GF with nothing but physical weapons? Well, they were still receiving the Junction benefits from their multiple GFs even if they were currently unable to Summon, but still, that was suicide. None of their items or spells would be able to help them when the going got tough. And even if they managed to beat one of them, suppose they unsealed the wrong ability first? Phoenix Downs and Life spells were useless after a certain time period. And no matter how powerful the cure spell used, if it wasn't used within the hour of receiving the injury, then permanent damage could set in.

But, Seifer wasn't rejecting the suggestion. She knew that he had a habit (perhaps a bad one) of accepting and completing impossible tasks, just look at the way he made SeeD, but this was a bit much. She knew that this was insane, he knew that just as well as she did, but he was still going for it?

Apparently he was. She listened in slight shock as Seifer laid out the battle plan. "Unless anyone has a better idea, we'll go with Tilmitt's suggestion." He ignored everyone's look of complete shock with the ease that came from a lifetime of bullying cadets and Instructors alike, and pulling off the impossible whenever the opportunity offered. He thought for a moment. Then he looked up at him with a daring gleam in his eye, and Fujin found herself wanting to take a step backward to get out of the range of whatever rampant insanity Seifer had planned. She didn't, of course. She trusted Seifer, not to mention she had a reputation for impassiveness to maintain. That didn't prevent her from being nervous regarding whatever madness Seifer had planned this time.

She was right to be worried. "If we're going to do this, we'll have to split up." He paused a moment to take in the level of incredulity of his audience, grinned winningly, and continued on. "Do our radios still work?" he asked the Chicken, who worryingly enough was the tech expert of the group.

Hesitatingly, the moron nodded. "Yeah. No damage or jamming to speak of….oh _hell _no! No _way_, no _how_ are you suggesting what I _think_ you're suggesting!"

Seifer only grinned lazily in response. "What's the matter, Chicken-wuss? Scared? Pissed your stupid shorts lately? Is that it?"

"I told you to _stop calling me that!!"_ the Chicken roared, getting in Seifer's face with his fists ready. His target didn't flinch, being more than used to that behavior. She didn't move either. Zell Dincht knew very well that if he actually struck Seifer in earnest, than what had happened to him in D-District prison would look like small change, and with no last minute reprieve either. Not to mention that Seifer could more than handle himself in a fight against the Chicken.

True to form, Seifer merely smirked and leaned back just enough to be just out of immediate punching range. "Settle down, Chicken-wuss. Get your girly panties out of a wad. I'm not sending you out to kill a GF solo, or something equally suicidal. It'll work, trust me." And just like that, Fujin was swept up in Seifer's magnetic confidence. If Seifer said that his plan could work, then it _would_, even if she had to move heaven and earth to make it happen the way he wanted it to. Failure was not an option.

"PLAN?"

"There are five GFs, right? And five abilities sealed away? If we all work together to beat one, then we split up into two groups to take care of the remaining GFs. Hopefully, each GF is responsible for one seal, that means that for each one we beat, we unlock another ability. We use the radios to coordinate our progress. And…" Seifer trailed off speculatively, turning slightly to give Fujin a speaking glance.

"Well, what is it?" Selphie said, bouncing on her heels with the eagerness to get going. Seifer gave her a quieting glare, at which she pouted a bit, but obediently subsided.

"The Bitch," and Fujin here recognized Seifer's preferred word to refer to Sorceress Ultimeica, " put up wards against our magic, but the magic of Sorceresses is different from the variety that we use." Seifer explained. "She's not likely to have put up a general anti-magic seal that negates any and all casting, not when she can put up a kind that can block us from using magic yet still allows Her free reign…."

This time Fujin understood where he was going. Even if the others couldn't cast at the moment, she might still be able to. On the heels of that revelation, she tried casting Cura on Seifer, who looked as if he needed the boost. He'd fought both Adel and Leonhart back to back, with hardly any time to rest or drink some potions in between to restore his health. Not to mention here, when they'd finally had some breathing space as they recovered from their experiences in Time Compression, drinking a potion had all the benefits of drinking a glass of water, refreshing certainly, but doing nothing else they were designed for. And that wasn't even counting the damage he'd taken when they'd blundered into Ultimecia's GFs and discovering just how Ultimecia designed Her security. It worked, and amazingly didn't even deplete her stocks of stored spells in the slightest. Another perk of sorcery, she wondered? Then she shook her head, dismissing that thought. She didn't know, didn't really care at the moment either, for that matter.

Seifer grinned in triumph. "Thanks, Fuu. That proves my point. Knew the Bitch isn't the type to put up security that hampers Her own defense." He turned slightly, looking everyone present in the eye. "Ok people, let's show the Bitch what we're made of!"

The Chicken and Selphie let out a cheer at Seifer's words, prompting Instructor Trepe, Kinneas and herself to share wry looks, as if to say, 'we're counting on _them_?' Raijin simply shrugged. Seifer's face was set in a bloodthirsty grin, one that Fujin knew meant that he was ready, eager and anticipating the proposed carnage ahead. She shook her head again. Sometimes Seifer could be just too much.

Despite Seifer's cocky words earlier, the first GF was truly a bitch to fight. Cut off from half the standard SeeD arsenal, they almost didn't make it, even with her casting healing spells to keep them going. Luckily, that GF guarded the seal restricting the use of items, and the entire group spent several minutes after it fell guzzling much needed High Potions, Elixirs, and Ethers.

After they were all refreshed, Seifer split them up, against a storm of protests. Fujin wanted to protest as well, they had barely made it past that one GF alive, how were they supposed to do so with only half their force? But she didn't speak up, knowing that a) Seifer was counting on her to support him, and b) that he wouldn't do so unless he had a plan to make up the deficit. She just had to trust him.

As always, that faith was justified when, just under an hour later, her group encountered another of Ultimeica's GF's and managed to beat it into the ground after a hard fight. Thankfully it had been a relatively weak one, as well as guarding the seal that prevented the rest of them from using magic. That meant that the burden of being the sole SeeD capable of using magic was gone from her, not that she had been resentful of that duty, but she did prefer to use Circular Current, her chakram, than spells in a fight.

Seifer's group took down the next GF half an hour later, breaking the seal on Limit Breaks. They took down yet another one not 20 minutes after that, this one dissolving the seal on Summoning. Only one GF remained, then, all their abilities restored, they would be free to face Ultimecia. And destroy Her. That was Seifer's plan, so she could not permit anything less. Failure was _not _an option.

//\\

At last they'd come, those foolish, foolish SeeDs, no doubt puffed up with pride after managing to breach Her defenses enough so that they were nearly able to face Her mighty self. They _should_ be proud. Before She had eliminated the SeeD organization as a whole along with all other life in this time period, She had withstood scores of attempts by SeeDs who had tried and failed to make it past Her pets. She smiled at the pleasant memory of their despair as they realized that She had won, that they wouldn't make it close enough to Her to even gaze upon Her perfect form. Take away their ability to use magic, to summon GF's of their own, and otherwise neutralize the other countless other little tricks that SeeDs regularly employed; and they died just like any average pathetic fighter, despite their vaunted elite status. The sweet memories never failed to brighten Her mood whenever She thought of it.

The smile abruptly turned to a frown. No matter how many SeeDs Her pets had killed in the past, these had made it through the gauntlet of GF's, killing Her pets and shattering the seals they had guarded with their lives. Perhaps it was to be expected, these were the SeeDs that had caused Her the greatest headache in their own time period. Time and again they had spoiled Her plans, from the time when they had interrupted Her parade, forcing Her out of not one, but two hosts before She had been ready to leave, and tempting Her Lion away from his rightful place; which was in the dirt at Her feet like the rest of the trash.

Just because She had graciously allowed Squall Leonhart to use some of Her power on occasion, and had used him to contain Her consciousness when She had been between hosts, did not excuse him from the punishments due him thanks to his gross incompetence at the simple tasks She gave him. She had told him to eliminate SeeD, but Balamb Garden had escaped his planned destruction, rising again and again to challenge Her. She had told him to get information, and he'd returned to Her without a scrap of knowledge that She didn't already know. She had told him to capture Ellone for Her, and time and time again the girl had slipped past his spies. Whatever grace he might have believed that he had earned as Her knight, his incompetence had forfeited. Clearly, despite his protests to the contrary, his former comrades retained his loyalty, loyalty that had been Hers by right.

And who was it, that had foiled Her perfect plans, and had stolen the loyalty of Her knight from Her, right out from under Her nose? This ragtag group of SeeDs! She looked them over as they assembled outside Her door, checking their equipment and stocks of spells. She knew them all, from the memories of Her hosts and Her disloyal knight.

Sneeringly, She named them off, one by one, in Her head. Zell Dincht, the loudmouthed brawler with sub-average intelligence. While he was quick on his feet, his dim wits prevented him from being of too great a threat. Irvine Kinneas, the smooth-talking sharpshooter who had once been part of Galbadia Garden, where She had once maintained Her Headquarters. While his shooting abilities were no doubt top-notch, he was pitifully scared of Junctioning a GF, and that alone lowered his worth in Her eyes. Selphie Tilmitt, hyperactive magic-user who might have been extremely skilled in the magical arts, but who also suffered from focus issues. Quistis Trepe, the disgraced SeeD Instructor, who was skilled indeed with her whip, but those skills masked an exploitable low self-esteem. Perhaps She might take the girl for Her new knight when this was over. There was Fujin Nakoria, one of Her former hosts. She hadn't stayed in Fujin's body long, the girl was far too obedient to ever make a proper Sorceress, she had no ambition for herself at all, and thus was worth less than trash alive. The girl's only marginal worth was as a corpse in Her eyes. The others She _might_ spare, _if_ they surrendered and _if_ She were feeling merciful, both options which She rather doubted as they _were _SeeDs and thus were lamentable stubborn to throw away their lives in an attempt to take Her own. But Fujin would die, if only to take her powers for Her own. Raijin Tendramond, there was _another_ one who would die no matter what happened, the muscle-bound _idiot_. Didn't he see that by foolishly panting after a Sorceress that he was condemning himself to worse than death by daring to touch something so far above him that it was death to try? Apparently not. The insolent would receive their just reward. And finally, last but certainly not least; Seifer Almasy.

Of all those about to face Her, he was the only one She was unsure of. Her Lion's mind had been full of contradictory information about this particular insect, and Fujin had somehow been able to keep all her memories of the one she claimed as her leader hidden from Her, yet another thing the girl would die for. True, at one time She had thought that he might prove himself worthy to be Her knight, but when She had tried to take his mind, he had resisted Her. He had been able to realize Her intrusion into his mind, and fight back against it, at least as long as it took for Her to realize that if She took his mind by force, he would fight Her to the end, forcing Her to expend unnecessary energy to just to keep him compliant. And low and behold, just when She had come to that conclusion, another had appeared to take his place, one that She had chosen when She had determined that Her first choice would have been unsuitable.

However, perhaps She had been premature in that judgment. Her Lion had credited Almasy with the majority of schemes that had cost Her the most. Almasy had commanded Balamb Garden when Her Lion had failed to take it, and had managed to break out of D-District Prison, and save it from the missile attack that Her knight had ordered, as well. Almasy had fought Her knight to a standstill and had beaten him on at least one occasion. Almasy had killed Adel before it was time, and had foiled Her search parties looking for Ellone. All that, in addition to the vague doubts that had assailed Her Lion that the mere thought of Almasy provoked, so small that even he had been unaware of them. The only reason She had known about them, was because he had hosted Her after Her flight from Edea's body. Most, if not all of those doubts had revolved around Almasy in one way or another.

Now, She questioned Her initial decision to abandon Her attempt for Almasy's mind. If She had pressed, and taken the blond as Hers, then all of that fine strategic mind, that had foiled Her plans time and again, possibly one of the very few who could match Her own mind for strategy, would have been Hers to command. Her Lion had been adequate for Her purposes, yes, and had been able to _eventually_ get the job done, that couldn't be doubted, but he had never been able to anticipate Her plans and requirements the way Almasy might have. Then She dismissed the notion. Her reasons for discarding Almasy then were the same now. Almasy would _never_ have truly submitted to Her, he was _much_ too independent for his own good. He would have altered Her plans, for the simple reason of bolstering his own ego. Her Lion in contrast, had little to no ego to speak of, and submitted to Her will without even a token struggle. With Her Lion, there had been no struggle for control, as there would have been constantly, _if_ She had taken Almasy for Her knight. No, Her eventual choice had been the superior one in the end.

As the doors opened, allowing those cursed SeeDs their first glimpse of Her true form, She smiled in chilly welcome. Let them feast their eyes on that which would destroy them, and, once they were gone, destroy all life for all eternity.

/\

Despite his preparations, Seifer was mentally rocked back on his heels at his first sight of Sorceress Ultimecia. She was tall, with long white hair that She had twisted sections of it up into long horns at the sides of Her head. She was dressed in red, blood red, the thick, dark red of arterial blood, which had stained Hyperion's blade far too often for Seifer to count, accented by a pair of long black wings that draped elegantly over Her shoulders in a truly barbaric look. Purple facial tattoos called attention to cruel golden eyes, which were the only part of Her that was familiar to Seifer. He had seen those eyes before, looking out from Edea's face, at the Parade in Deling City, and watching in predatory amusement as the SeeDs fought Her and Leonhart in Galbadia Garden.

Desperate to maintain the confident levity of the moment before, Seifer looked over his shoulder and asked, in a voice meant to be heard by the Sorceress watching them so intently, "What is it about Sorceresses that completely destroys their sense of fashion? No offence Fuu, but from what I've seen of Edea, Adel, and now this Bitch, I now think that it's part of the price Sorceresses pay for the power."

He didn't have to look to sense the growing rage now emanating from the Sorceress. He could _feel _it. But what he could also feel, and was reassured by, was the renewed confidence of those with him. No one would admit to being intimidated by Ultimecia's appearance, though they all had been. She was somehow _more_ in person than She had been when they had encountered Her before, though when Seifer thought about it, that made sense. Before, when they had faced Ultimecia, She had been aware and active in the proceedings that was true, but never had they come face to face with Her, because all their dealings with Her had been through the filter of another Sorceress's body.

He turned back to Her, just as She stirred and began to speak. "Kurse you…" though the whisper was soft, it was perfectly audible from where he stood, and put, Seifer's imagination of what Shiva's voice sounded like, to shame. "_Kurse _you. Kurse all SeeDs!"

Seifer stood his ground, though he was well aware that Tilmitt and Trepe were nervously looking at each other behind his back, while Chicken-wuss bounced on his toes to keep himself moving. Even Kinneas had shifted his weight a bit at Her words. The only ones who were unmoving were Seifer and his posse, and their rock-solid stances firmed the resolve of their companions.

Ultimecia wasn't finished speaking. "_Insekts!_ You don't deserve the honor it is to be personally krushed beneath My feet. You _disgust_ me. _All_ SeeDs disgust me. Swarming like, like _lokusts_ across the generations, well, soon that will be ended. All SeeDs will be_ krushed_ in the all mighty power of Time Kompression, along with all other life!"

Chicken-wuss couldn't stay quiet. "Well, these 'Insects' as you call us, will _stop_ that from happening!"

Ultimecia only laughed; a long, deep, spine-chilling laugh that went straight to Seifer's spine like Shiva's icy fingers. Dammit, hadn't the Chicken learned _anything_ from what happened the last time he'd opened his mouth without thinking? That particular blunder had gotten them all into this mess in the first place! This was the _third time_ in as many months that Seifer had wanted to kill Dincht, and his reasons for keeping the Idiot alive still remained the same as they had always been. _Hyne's balls_, couldn't the Chicken do _anything_ right?

Ultimecia eventually stopped laughing. "_Insolent fools_! You may have done well getting this far, but your vain krusade ends _here_! I will _exterminate you Myself!_"

With that She stood abruptly from Her throne, and started casting. Seifer cursed and ran for cover, ending up alongside Kinneas behind a wide ornamental pillar. This was _not_ looking good. Ultimecia was still up on Her raised throne, casting spells from far out of range of the SeeDs weapons. Kinneas could reach Her, and so could Fujin in a pinch, not to mention Tilmitt's spells, but Trepe, Chicken-wuss, Tilmitt , and Raijin had as much chance of reaching Her as they did of breathing underwater, not to mention his own lack of chances of reaching the Bitch with Hyperion. A fact that was amply demonstrated by an overpowered Waterga spell that broke over where Fujin and Tilmitt were crouched, leaving them choking and gasping for air, soaked to the bone. There had to be a way to literally level the playing field…

Then it hit him. "Fujin, Raijin, Trepe, Chicken-wuss, look sharp! Summon and break the damn chair!" he shouted. "Kinneas, Tilmitt, get Her attention off the rest of us!"

No one argued. Kinneas loaded his shotgun with the special ammunition he had spent a small fortune a round for in Esthar, and began shooting, backed up by Tilmitt's spells. While they were keeping Ultimecia's attention on Her defense while She continued to throw overpowered spells around the vast chamber as if they were cheap party favors, Shiva, Alexander, Odin and Doomtrain arrived and began launching attacks on the sturdy pillar supporting the platform upon which rested Ultimecia's throne. He Summoned Ifrit as well and directed him to join the fun, while staying on the move to prevent Ultimecia wising up to his location and taking him out. If She managed to do that, then they were all dead, plain and simple. Seifer had no conceit whatsoever in believing this. He knew that he was the glue holding them together, the one directing all of their individual efforts and working them into a greater whole. He tossed Kinneas a Phoenix Down when Ultimecia landed a lucky shot on the sniper, and cast Cura on him for good measure. Kinneas nodded in thanks, and then again as Seifer tossed him a few potions as well. Then he had to duck and dodge a spell the likes of which he had never seen before as the Bitch tracked him down while he was helping Kinneas.

Abruptly, one task was done and Ultimecia toppled from her crumbling scaffold with a shriek of surprise. A Thundraga spell She had been charging went out of control and fried the GFs, destroying them and leaving their summoners to stumble from the sudden release of magical strain. Everything went silent. No one dared to move, frozen in their final positions, waiting for Her reaction.

She stood, dust and rubble leaving stains on Her luxuriant red robe. "I was going to kill you kleanly…" she said in a deadly quiet voice. "… I was going to face you with My magic alone, as that would have been more than enough to end the pathetik existence of worms like you. But now…" and a deadly light reminding Seifer of a Summoning began to surround Her, though the color wasn't one he recognized from any of the GFs he was familiar with. The light that came from Diablos came close, but it wasn't exact. And it had to be exact, if one wanted to identify a GF before it manifested with any hope of accuracy. The light grew, until he had to look away to preserve his sight. Though the explosion of light he heard Ultimecia's voice ring out clearly. "…you will _suffer_! Kome to me, _Griever!_"

Griever. Seifer had heard the stories about the legendary GF, it would have been hard for him to have not to, not with Squall's trademark pendant representing it. He'd never see it before though, and had never given it a thought, given that Griever's reclusiveness was as much his trademark as his legendary cruelty and strength. No GF was said to be able to stand against him. If Ultimecia had Griever Junctioned, if She had truly just summoned him, then they were well and truly fucked.

Though, if Seifer remembered the stories of Griever correctly, the GF was said to be one of the pickiest GF's around regarding those it allowed to Junction with it, let alone Summon. Griever was said to only allow those it related to most strongly, that is, those whose personal code of honor resembled it's own the most strongly were allowed the privilege of its assistance. Everyone knew that it was death to try and command Griever if you were unworthy. On the flip side however, if you_ were_ worthy, then it was said that Griever would rend Hell itself at your command. Judging by the stories Seifer had heard, he would have thought that Ultimecia wouldn't have passed Griever's tests.

The light faded, and there, before his eyes was the legendary Lion. Ultimecia sat on his back, just as smug as the nasty, spoiled, little bitch whose daddy had just handed over the pony she had just been screaming for. Griever was nor rejecting Ultimecia's presence on his back, and was acting as if the GF was perfectly comfortable with the arrangement. There went the hope that Griever would turn on Ultimecia because he disapproved of the Junction link. Seifer _knew_ that it had only been a foolish hope at best, but that didn't mean that it had never existed.

The struggle against Griever was long and hard. All of them came close to death more than once, Limit Breaks were used like candy and each of them (save Kinneas of course) Summoned multiple GFs. Seifer was panting when the GF finally expired, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

Ultimecia stared at them in naked shock. "How kould you defeat Griever? That is_ impossible_!"

Tired, dirty, sweaty, but still cocky, Seifer only smirked. "I'm Seifer Almasy. I do the impossible on a daily basis, oftentimes more than once a day."

"IDIOT."

"Don't be getting too big a head now Seifer, ya know?" Seifer felt his smirk stretching wider at his posse's words. He didn't relax his guard though, or take his eyes off of Ultimecia for a second. She was still dangerous, that Seifer well knew. They might have defeated Griever, and stunned Her for the moment, but Seifer was still counting Her a threat until Fujin had absorbed Her powers after She had died. Not a second before then would he relax his vigilance.

She simply snarled, and began casting again, although this time there was a slightly panicked feel to the magic being thrown around the massive chamber. Not to mention, this time the SeeDs weapons could actually reach Her, well_, if_ they could close on Her enough to be within striking distance that is.

They went for it, pulling out all the stops, pouring reserves of strength and magic that they hadn't even _known_ they still possessed into the fight. Slowly, but surely they forced Ultimecia onto the defensive, until they were overwhelming Her with their skill, strength, and determination.

But just before Seifer landed the final blow, Time Compression overtook this final time period without the barrier of Ultimecia's will and concentration to keep it back, and they were all tossed back into the chaos again.

//\\

Cliffhanger!!! I am _so_ evil. Just one more chapter to go, while I wrap everything up. Thank you all so much for following my story to this point, just remember to review at the end of it. I only got two reviews last chapter, and while I know that the story is winding down, that doesn't mean that I still feel bad whenever a chapter doesn't get feedback. Please? :puppy eyes:

I didn't do too badly with the battle scene, did I? I know that I managed to keep battles short before, but I wasn't able to get away with it this time. Please review and let me know how I did? Pretty please with Seifer/Squall plushies on top?


	10. Chapter 10

Icicle knight, Fiery SeeD

Chapter 10

//\\

Seifer wasn't sure where he had ended up _this_ time. One minute, he had been about to slit Ultimecia's throat, the next he knew, Time Compression had tossed his ass _here_, wherever _here_ was. Or should he say, _when_ever, given that he could be truly _any_where in history at the moment.

Wait a moment. He _knew_ this place. This was the Orphanage where he had first met Squall, Trepe, Chicken-wuss and the others. It was just how he remembered it.

_Exactly _how he remembered it. Right down to the little Squally running away for the umpteenth time in search of Sis. Well, he couldn't have that. Just as the little boy passed him, he stuck out a foot and tripped the little tyke, and for some reason found himself reflexively catching the boy before he hit the ground hurt himself. Setting the child back on his feet, Seifer was briefly stunned by how this younger Squall's eyes showed his every emotion, so totally unlike the frosty orbs of his rival that it was hard to imagine that both looks technically belonged to the same person. And right now Squally (to differentiate between his Squall and this little version of him), was looking up at him with a mixture of hope, fear, and curiosity, the latter of which Seifer recalled used to give Matron frothing fits given the kinds of places little Squally would squeeze himself into.

"Do you know where Sis is?" the question, in such an innocently hopeful tone of voice, made Seifer have to close his eyes so Squally wouldn't see the hatred in them. _This_ was what Ellone had left behind, which was what anyone of the Orphanage Gang would have _killed_ to have for their own. Family, and rock-solid unshakable trust. Squall had _never_ blamed Ellone for her disappearance, even though Seifer had done so from the start, though who knew if Squall still felt that way after Ultimecia and Her mind tricks.

There was really only one answer to the question. The truth. "No, I don't." he truly didn't know where Ellone was during this time, though she'd had to have been with the White SeeDs in this time period, sailing somewhere across the oceans, only stopping briefly for supplies.

Squally's eyes filled with tears at the news. " Sorry to bother you then." He whispered, the first tears already beginning to slide down young cheeks again. Seifer _couldn't_ let those tears stay where they were. Squall Leonhart was the strongest person Seifer knew, and he didn't know how to reconcile that strength with the tears and weakness he saw now, even if the Squall before him wasn't much older than 4 years old.

Awkwardly, and mentally praying to Hyne that no one was around to see the great Seifer Almasy get on his knees to comfort a crying child (he'd kill to keep the story from spreading, it didn't matter that he only existed in this time frame because of Time Compression and he'd be leaving soon) he wrapped his arms around this younger version of Squall. "_Don't_ cry. What if Sis came back right now? Would you want her to see you crying?" Squally mutely shook his head no. "Then buck up. Show Sis that you can be strong, that you can stand up for yourself so that she can be proud of you when she does come back."

Seifer had to sternly discipline himself not to grow teary-eyed as well when Squally turned big and trusting eyes up at him. "You mean that?" Seifer nodded, than stood up straight releasing his armful. Hyne's balls, why was this kid getting to him like this? Abruptly, Squally turned around and ran off leaving Seifer to stare after them in confusion. Then he felt someone sneaking up on him from behind, and whirled to catch the kid with his thieving little hand just a hand's breadth away from Hyperion's perfect edge.

His captive squirmed for Freedom, but Seifer didn't give an inch as he looked his prey over. Then he did a double take, for the boy, all of 5 years old and already arrogant as all of Ifrit's hells, was himself. Blond hair already showing the destruction of Matron's careful morning grooming, dirt smudged on one cheek, a younger version of Seifer squirmed in his older counterpart's grasp, desperate to get away before Matron came and confined him to the house all by himself again, or some such other horrible punishment, for misbehaving.

Although he wanted to laugh at his own memories of _far_ too many afternoons confined to the boring-ass orphanage with nothing to do, Seifer deliberately made himself as intimidating as he thought the boys could handle, no need to scar the kid with his battle mode, nor his interrogation mask. But a little bit of intimidation never hurt anyone, not when it came to this particular boy he had in his clutches.

That was why he felt quite safe in giving the kid a mocking smirk, similar to what he'd give the Chicken if he was being naughty. "No touchie, Kid. That's a real gunblade, you mess with that, and you die."

"What, you'll kill me?" his younger self spat; working frantically to try and reclaim his wrist. The kid's bold words were at odds with his white face and wide sea-green eyes.

Seifer just looked at his younger self, and allowed his smirk to widen, just a touch, and in clear approval of the kid's attitude, not that his young counterpart would be able to tell. "No, but I wouldn't need to. Little boys shouldn't play with live steel. One nick in the wrong place, and your dead, and it would have been all your own fault."

He wanted to say more, but a voice rang out behind him and froze his words in his throat. "Seifer!! Sweet Holy Hyne Child, but just _what_ have you done _now_?"

Seifer dropped his counterpart's hand like hot coal, an instinctive response to Matron's legendary ire. He was so shocked, that his midget self actually managed to make an escape while he was still gaping at the figure of Edea Kramer that had appeared in his view, exactly as he had last seen her, but minus the cares and guilt that she carried for being the Bitch's vessel. Subjectively, Seifer realized with a start, that that had been less than 24 hours ago. From all that had happened in the interim, the fight to get to the Station, the Lunar Cry, reclaiming Fujin, Lunatic Pandora, Ultimecia, he would have thought it had been longer.

He'd barely managed to cover his shock and recognition behind a thin mask of arrogance when she reached him. "I'm _terribly_ sorry, but Seifer is _extremely_ curious, no matter _how_ many times I tell him to think before acting. I hope he wasn't bothering you too much, was he?"

Seifer managed a thin smirk. "It was more for his own safety than any other reason. Somehow I don't think that you'd want one of your charges to end up with a severed hand or dead because he decided to get too curious about a SeeD's gunblade." He said the last bit just a bit louder than the previous sentence, directed over his shoulder at his chibi double.

"Is _that_ what it's called?" said pipsqueak said, awe in his voice as he emerged from his hiding place in some handy shrubbery. And then was immediately pounced on by Matron's concerned (and smothering) arms for his trouble.

"That's right kid." To demonstrate, he drew Hyperion and held it where it was easily viewable, but far out of the kid's inquisitive reach. Then he sheathed it again, putting temptation out of sight.

It looked as it keeping the gunblade out of sight didn't do anything to mute the kid's admiration for the weapon. Truthfully, Seifer couldn't blame him. To his eyes as well, Hyperion was a masterwork of craftsmanship, possibly only just_ slightly_ exceeded by the blue beauty Squall had been carrying around recently. "Could I learn to use one?" the youngster asked Seifer, eyes shining with greed and a touch of lust at the thought of wielding Seifer's pride and joy as he wiggled out of Matron's embrace.

"The gunblade is one of the most difficult weapons to master in _existence_, kid. Only two people in the whole world that I know of have it mastered, and I'm one of them. Only the whip comes close to it in level of difficulty. I _sincerely_ doubt a shrimp like you is up to the challenge."

Young sea-green eyes glared up at Seifer in an icy glare that he'd seen himself several times in the mirror, mostly when Squall had for one reason or another gotten the better of him in one of their endless challenges or thinly-disguised spars. He'd worn that exact same look whenever he'd vowed to himself and his posse that he'd come out on top the next time the two rivals had clashed. "I won't be small _forever_!" this miniature version of himself stormed. "Just wait and see! I'll be a knight, and I'll use a gunblade, and no one will be able to tell me I can't do anything again!" he stomped his foot for good measure.

Seifer had to laugh at his younger self's enthusiasm. "Kid, take my advice. Being a knight is much more overrated than it sounds. I knew someone who became a knight, once he came to his senses, he realized that it cost much more than he ever imagined it would, and that that cost, made the post not worth the effort." Regardless of the fact that he hadn't seen or been able to talk to Squall since their fight in Lunatic Pandora, a fact that began to worry Seifer now that he thought about it, he knew that his rival had been seriously questioning his time in the Evil Bitch's company, and that the answers that the brunet gunblader had been coming up with, hadn't eased his mind regarding his choices either.

Something abruptly tingled the hairs on the back of his neck, he craned his head behind him to see what it was that was triggering his alarms, and then abruptly turned to face the threat fully, Hyperion drawn and ready, charging a Firaga (the last one he had left) into his free hand. "Matron, kid, get back! I'll handle this!"

"No." Matron's voice was remarkably calm, considering that there was an insane time-traveling Evil Sorceress on her literal front doorstep, going so far as to lay a hand on Seifer's right forearm to halt his swing as she walked around him. "She isn't going to be any trouble."

Seifer sneered at the thought. "That Bitch nearly _killed_ me, my posse, and my friends on multiple occasions, took _my rival_ as Her knight, and nearly crushed the flow of _Time itself_. Why the _fuck_ do you think _She won't be any trouble_?!"

"I'll thank you to mind your language while you're here, there are several impressionable young minds within hearing distance," Matron said with a hint of steel as she waved an absent-minded hand towards young Seifer, before softening her voice. "And I know She won't be any trouble, because She's here to die."

Something of Seifer's incredulity must have shown on his face, because Matron explained. "A sorceress cannot rest in peace unless there is someone nearby to take possession of her powers. She is here to die, to pass Her powers on and then fade away." She took a few more steps around Seifer and stood directly in front of Ultimecia, arms open in welcome. "I'll take them. You may rest now."

What happened next came so fast that Seifer thought he might have imagined it, but to him it looked like the hard lines of the Evil Bitch's face softened, just a bit, and then violet-red balls of energy soared from Her into Matron's body. When the lightshow finished, there were only the three of them there, Seifer, Matron, and his double.

She swayed, prompting Seifer to automatically reach out and help her to a sitting position on the front stoop. "Seifer," she asked faintly, "Could you run inside and fetch me a glass of water, child?"

Little Seifer looked briefly rebellious, but a raised eyebrow from Matron eroded his protests and sent him scurrying inside. Once he was gone, Matron turned that eyebrow on the grown up Seifer, making him shift a bit. Damn it, she still had that way that made him feel as if he was completely transparent to her gaze, or rather, he still was susceptible to that look, given that she was still in the same time period when she'd used it most frequently. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt that you're from this time." The words were said calmly, almost matter of fact.

It was useless to lie. "No," Seifer admitted. "I'm a SeeD, from Balamb Garden. Our charter compels us to stop sorceresses who threaten the stability of everyone, who collects and uses power for the main purpose of enslaving or destroying the world."

She nodded. "Then I think it's time that you went back to where you belong. There's only room for one Seifer here, you know."

She was right, as always. There was no reason for him to stay here, even someone as dense in the realm of social niceties as Squall would have figured it out. He didn't belong here, not with his little twerp of a double here already. It was time to return to where he did belong. Then he froze as something occurred to him. Matron looked at him, faintly scandalized as he suddenly began to laugh for apparently no reason. "Something funny?" she asked as he regained control of himself again.

He shook his head. She wouldn't get it. Yeah, it was time for him to go home, but first he had to make a detour to pick up one very stubborn Ice Princess who no doubt needed a reminder.

//\\

Squall found himself lost. He was _lost_, and _alone_ in a desolate landscape that reflected the one inside. He was _worthless_. He'd given _everything_ to his Lady, but it hadn't been enough. Now She was gone, She who had promised not to _ever _leave him, but had abandoned him when it suited Her interests anyway. His own choices blocked any hope of return to the life he's had before She had come into his life. There was _nowhere_ for the infamous Sorceress Knight to go, every country that had suffered under his Lady's hand would now be baying for his blood, a hunt that wouldn't let up until he was dead, or worse. He was _alone_ now, more isolated now then he'd ever been before, even when Sis left. He'd still had Matron and the other orphans then to keep him company, even if he hadn't realized that they were there for him at the time. Even _Shiva _had left him now, unwillingly Drawn away in the final moments of that last confrontation with Seifer before Time Compression. He felt himself shivering, the coldness of abandonment and aloneness drawing deep into his bones, freezing him in place.

He didn't know how long he sat there, locked in his misery. He was so wrapped up in self loathing and cold that he failed to realize he had company until a hand smacked him none-too-gently across the back of his head. "Hey, Puberty-Boy! Up and at 'em!"

He started in surprise, unsure what Seifer was doing there. No, Seifer _couldn't_ be here, this was just a hallucination dreamed up by his subconscious to torment him the moment it evaporated. But, hallucinations didn't have substance, couldn't physically touch the ones they tormented, and the vision of Seifer had smacked him hard, he could still feel the sting on his scalp. Dumbfounded, he simply stared.

The vision of Seifer didn't go away, simply gave him an aggrieved look. He recognized that look; Seifer wore that look whenever the blond had come to bully him into eating, whenever he'd felt that it had been too long since the brunet visited the cafeteria in favor of the Library or the Training Center. He'd never been able to ignore Seifer in that mood, or any mood for that matter, and Squall found that he didn't know right then how to react in the face of it.

"_Seifer_?" he blurted out in sheer surprise. The arrogant blond merely smirked triumphantly in conformation of his identity. For once Squall didn't mind that Seifer had been able to make him react, his mind was far too busy trying to figure out how, or perhaps more importantly, _why_ Seifer had found him.

"Speechless with awe, Ice Princess, that such awesomeness as myself is deigning to grace your lowly self with his almighty company? I mean, logically speaking, the time of one with such good looks and power should be greatly in demand. You should be grateful that I'm spending my valuable time rescuing your stupid ass."

Squall could only gape as Seifer rambled on, every arrogant syllable only confirming the blond's identity. Then he scowled up at the blond as Seifer's words sunk in. "I thought I told you to never call me that again."

Seifer only smirked knowingly. "You're brooding like a fucking angsty princess who's waiting for some stupid asshole to come save her helpless inbred ass, in a place that is so fucking freezing that it could give even Shiva frostbite, and remember Puberty-Boy; I'm not the one wearing leather and fur around here. With all that in mind, I think that I'm fucking entitled to call you whatever the fuck I want."

Not sure what to say in the face of that argument, Squall merely muttered, "Whatever," as he stood and looked away from Seifer's face. After a minute of staring at the ground, he spoke again without lifting his gaze, "Why are you here, Seifer."

"What, no protestations of unending joy at my appearance? And I already told you: I'm risking loosing several tender portions of my anatomy to frostbite with the noble intention of rescuing your ungrateful ass and dragging you back with me."

Squall had to laugh hollowly at that. "Bring me back to _what_, trial? I think I'd rather stay here, thanks."

He couldn't contain his wince when another of Seifer's hands smacked the backside of his head, again. "Did the Bitch take your brain with Her when She died? I'm taking you back to Garden, you asshole, just like I've meant to do since Timber."

Something in Squall froze at that statement. Seifer…couldn't have meant that the way he heard it. _No_. It was only wishful thinking that would only end with the pointy edge of Hyperion through his chest if he ever voiced it aloud. To avoid that matter, the way that he'd avoided other uncomfortable issues the blond had raised over the years, he focused on the other piece of information that Seifer had let slip. "So… She's dead?" as soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally cringed at them, and at the note of…what? in his voice.

Instead of reacting to his stupid question with scorn as he half-expected, Seifer merely looked at him, frank and uncompromising, in a way that still managed to allow a bit of...something else that made him a bit uncomfortable, to creep in. Then the blond nodded firmly, allowing no illusions to rest within Squall's mind. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the flood of anguish he was expecting to feel at the news, just a calm acceptance. "Did you do it?" he couldn't stop himself from asking, suddenly morbidly curious to know what had happened to his once Lady.

Seifer shook his head slowly. "No. I meant to, but She got away in Time Compression before I could land the final blow. But don't get your hopes up," he added with a cautionary glance toward Squall. "Just before I came here, I saw Her passing Her powers on to Matron so She could die, myself. She's dead."

"… …" Squall didn't reply, abruptly finding the cracked earth beneath his feet supremely interesting. Abruptly, he started shaking, and sat down hard to prevent himself from falling on his face right in front of Seifer's gloating gaze. He'd never hear the end of it otherwise. Briefly he chanced a look up at Seifer, caught a telltale smirk, and retaliated with a freezing glare that promised unspeakable horrors to the blond's unmentionables if Seifer dared to utter so much as a syllable. He knew better than to allow Seifer even a word in situations like this. Then he returned his gaze to the ground.

It was strange, but even though silence had returned to the empty landscape (truly a feat given that Seifer had almost no patience to speak of and preferred to fill empty spaces with noise and energy if at all possible), it lacked the oppressive feel that it had had before Seifer had arrived, just a few minutes ago. It felt almost, peaceful, if that word could be used to describe any area that SeeDs inhabited.

_Oh_, sweet Shiva, _SeeD_. Seifer had said something to the effect that he was planning on taking Squall back to Garden with him. How could the blond even _think_ that was possible given what he'd done? For Hyne's sake, Trabia Garden had been destroyed on _his_ orders, _and_ had ordered Galbadia Garden's population to be massacred as well. Not to mention, he'd led not one but two attacks on Balamb Garden, and had come close to destroying it completely both times, the facility only having escaped that fate due to Seifer's brilliance as a commander. And that was only what he'd done to _SeeD_, who, being mercenaries, should understand the dictates of a client's orders, not that that explanation served as justification for what he'd done. That wasn't counting those thousands he'd ordered to killed in D-District and other similar prisons under Galbadian control and personally, people whose only crime had been, deliberately or not, being in the way of Ultimecia's path to power, and those who had died at the hand of the Galbadian army in its rampage across the land searching for Ellone, or those who had died due to the Lunar Cry he had directly triggered. There was _no_ way back for him, not after what he'd done.

He huddled further into himself, as if to protect himself from the revelation he had just experienced. No sooner had he done that however, then a familiar arm dropped around his shoulders, well muscled from long hours of gunblade practice.

"Yeah Leonhart, you're coming back to Garden with me. I _should_ be able to dispense with a full criminal trial and sentencing, given that I know that you were under mental influence the entire time you served with the Evil Bitch, though I don't think I'll be able to get around at least a brief suspension from duty and probation, at least until it's proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that your free of the Bitch's control." Seifer's voice was soft, but still as confidant and matter-of-fact as always. So much so, that it took Squall a few moments to get past the tone and take in that Seifer had actually said.

"What did you _mean_ I was under mental influence while I served Her? My mind was perfectly clear." He paused, and then continued. "And just _why_ would_ you_ haveany say in my sentence?"

Seifer's smirk was razor sharp. "As to the second question, you're looking at Balamb Garden's military Commander, who has direct control over _all _SeeDs and their deployments." Seifer paused to let that sink in before continuing. "As to the first, Her Evil Bitchiness tried to get into my mind as well, before She took you as Her knight. Once She decided against me as a potential knight, I could literally _see_ Her take you over. There wasn't anything I could do at the time, and by the time that I ran into you in Deling City for the parade, you were already firmly under Her spell. Shit, half of my 'interrogation' was a glorification of Her. Well, not specifically. But you did take slights and jokes about Her as seriously as you would if someone called your gunblade a hunk of junk."

Eyes blazing silver at the indirect insult, Squall had Seifer on his back before he could blink, one deceptively thin hand choking the taller blond, hard. After a pointed minute to get his point across, he released Seifer, who merely sat up again and cast Cure on his bruises, grinning as if he'd just won the lottery. "_Don't_ call Lionheart junk." was all he told the obnoxiously smiling maniac.

"I wasn't. That's a mighty fine piece of work you've got there, _almost _at the level of Hyperion here." Seifer patted his sheath for emphasis. "But that just proves my point."

"You _have_ a point?"

"Here I've been directly insulting your Sorceress more or less constantly for the past few minutes or so, not that it's exactly easy to tell time here, and you haven't reacted once. But _one _indirect crack about your gunblade; and you put me on my back. If I'd tried that even when we met in Lunatic Pandora, you'd have at least attempted to kill me after the first joke."

Frowning, Squall thought back to his own memory of Seifer's interrogation. While he did remember relentlessly questioning Seifer about the true purpose of SeeD, there had been times he'd shocked the blond that had nothing to do with Seifer's inability to provide a satisfactory answer. Times when…

_Shiva's fingers_. Seifer had been _right_. Because it was more than just one interrogation, every time he remembered that She had given him an order he would normally have hesitated at, everytime he had had the smallest doubt about what he was doing, something about Her had erased his doubts and convinced him that he was doing the right thing. But that didn't erase his guilt. Not by a long shot. No matter that he'd been following orders, no matter that She might have held his mind the entire time he was Her knight, that wouldn't make any difference to the hordes of angry civilians who would be screaming for his blood. And Garden wouldn't be able to protect him forever, given that many of those would likely be Garden clients, people upon whom Garden depended to support its very existence…

As always, Seifer proved yet again that he could see right through him. With yet another whack upside the head, the third since this conversation began; the blond skillfully put his fears to rest. "_Don't_ pretend to be the idiot I know you aren't, Leonhart. You passed the SeeD exam, right?" Puzzled, Squall nodded. "And I _know _you got top marks in our class on the SeeD charter. What's the immunity clause that's built into every contract?"

Wrinkling his brow after yet another quelling glare at the blond just on general principals, Squall reeled off the legalese, unsure where Seifer was going with this. "'While Garden will endeavor at all possible to keep Its presence in the field quiet, It and those employed there…'" he trailed off wonderingly, unsure that he was drawing the right conclusion.

Seifer finished the rest, the light of triumph bright in sea-green eyes. "'…are _not_ legally responsible for _any_ and _all_ actions taken under contract...' You get where I'm going with this, Leonhart?"

Squall shot him an astonished (for him) look. "You wouldn't dare. There was no contract."

Seifer only smirked knowingly. "No _legal_ one, true, but according to Matron, taking a knight is roughly equivalent to signing a SeeD contract. And she should know; she's the one who founded SeeD, in addition to being a Sorceress for _years_ after all. Granted, it may take some finessed paperwork for the populace to accept that…" he trailed off with a smirk and a lazy shrug.

To his horror, Squall found his eyes growing misty, and hurriedly turned his head away before Seifer could see them and mocked him for it. Still he couldn't help but ask, "_Why_ are you going to all this trouble for me? You'll just leave me alone again after this."

Squall abruptly found his head physically seized and forcibly dragged around to meet Seifer's furious expression. "_I_, leave _you_?" the blond exploded, incredulity loud and clear in his voice. "Puberty-Boy, you _need_ to get your eyes checked. I _never_ left you, not once; I was one of the ones, if not the _only_ onewho _didn't_ leave. I was there with you the_ whole damn time _and_ you_ never noticed. If anyone, _you're_ the one who left _me_."

He couldn't breathe properly. That had to be the reason why he felt so lightheaded all of a sudden. He was twisted at a bad angle and couldn't draw a full breath. That had to be it. Only Seifer's burning gaze told a different story, one that the blond needed, no, _demanded_ that he accept. A story that Squall found himself reluctant to think about, because to do so would be to accept a truth he had shied away from for years, a truth that he had put aside and avoided thinking about, uncomfortable with what it meant for his worldview at the time.

Seifer swore again, this time in shock, as if the blond had just realized something devastating, the most creatively vicious phrases that Squall had ever heard spilling rapidly from hard lips. "Hyne's fucking _balls_, why the _fuck_ did things turn out like _this_?! And don't try and answer that," the blond abruptly cautioned Squall, seeing the brunet about to open his mouth and try to respond to Seifer's rant. The blond continued to mumble, slightly less intelligibly than before, though Squall could still make out enough to make him raise a brow at the inventiveness of the cursing. Seifer was truly surpassing his usual creativity today. Already he'd heard no less than 7 variations of the simple concept of "Bitch", along with 5 takes on "Bastard", but that was just what he could hear without the hearing boost that Junctioning Shiva gave.

Abruptly, Seifer seemed to realize that he was still holding Squall's face in a bruising grip, and snatched his hands back so fast that one would have thought they'd been dipped in acid. A breath later, the coolness of Cure whispered over the minor hurts as he sat back on his heels. Something just wasn't adding up. He'd _never_ seen Seifer this worked up before, and considering that Seifer had used his skills to fight out more than one temper tantrum in the past, that was saying allot. What was bothering Seifer like this? The way Seifer was reacting, Squall would have thought that something had happened to Seifer's precious posse. Though it was unlikely, for all Squall knew, Fujin and or Raijin might have been hurt or even dead, only he knew for a fact that Seifer wouldn't be hanging around him if that was true. He'd still be out there, slaughtering those responsible and even those who weren't, until someone managed to take him down. So, given that Seifer was here, wherever here was, and not avenging his posse by any and all means available, that indicated that Fujin and Raijin were safe, and the one provoking this storm of swearing was himself. Only Squall had no idea of what he'd done to ignite such a firestorm.

"Seifer…" he trailed off, unsure of just what he wanted to say. "Sorry" seemed woefully inadequate, even_ if_ he knew exactly what he was apologizing for. "Get away from me" was also considered, but was rejected almost before his mind thought of it, along with several other possibilities. Shiva's fingers, he'd never been the best with emotions, that was Seifer's specialty, and now, he wished he had the blond's skill with words. He wished that he could say _something_! "…I…"

He jumped as Seifer's arm wound about his shoulders again. "Got something you want to say, Squally-boy? You know just how much I'm an idiot. You'll have to be a bit more clear so I can understand you." The smirk was back in Seifer's voice, clearly audible even though his face was turned away from the brunet.

Squall didn't know if he were relieved, or irritated with the blond. Relieved, because that strange fit had passed, irritated because he knew that he was missing something important, and Seifer was playing innocent, hiding something big from him, that he could sense was important. And he wanted to know what it was. "You're hiding something."

"No shit. What a _marvel _of deductive logic that was from you, Ice Princess. With insights like that, you've _almost_ got Chicken-wuss beat in the brains department."

Squall frowned to himself as he let the insult slide off. Seifer hadn't denied it. But what was he hiding? He'd come right out and told him that Ultimecia was dead, and had outlined his plan to protect Squall from the righteous fury and possible retribution of those who had suffered under Her rampaging search for Ellone. He'd been almost painfully honest about all that, so why was he hiding things now? What was there left to hide? And it wouldn't have been the first tantrum, of Seifer's Squall had experienced, so why was Seifer attempting to conceal the cause of this latest one, impressive as it might be? "Seifer, just tell me."

"And soil your shiny blue blade with my blood as you put it through my skull? Not to mention that your leathers are disgusting enough without my brains splattered all across them as well. No thanks."

"Why would I kill you?"

"_Really_ pissing you off isn't a good reason? I actually tend to _value_ my skin in one piece, hard as that might seem to comprehend, so I'm keeping my mouth firmly shut on this matter."

"You _can_ keep your mouth shut?" Squall couldn't keep himself from muttering.

Seifer cast an offended look his way, one blond brow raised in good-humored offence. "That was Chicken-wuss who blew the mission and started the whole sob story, _not_ me. _I_ was the one who managed to actually _accomplish_ your task in Timber, all on my lonesome _and_ with Trepe on my ass no less, while you and your well-reinforced flunkies were cowering outside the broadcast station in fear of some pitiful Galbadian soldiers. That reminds me, Puberty-Boy, did you do _anything_ to up the training routines for the Galbadian Army while you and the Bitch were in power there? Because frankly, the quality of those 'guards' I encountered there were pitiful. A roomful of those weren't enough for me to even work up a sweat. It's hard to believe that your dad used to be one of them."

"…my….Dad?"

"Yeah," And Seifer actually looked slightly contrite over his slip. "Apparently he's still alive. He's the President of Esthar at the moment. He didn't even know that you existed, at least not before I told him about you after he'd hired us for breaking into the Lunatic Pandora in search of Ellone. He'd left for Esthar in search of Ellone when she was kidnapped as a child before his girlfriend realized she was pregnant, and never came back to find out that she'd died in childbirth. At least, that's what Ellone told me."

"…" Squall didn't know how to react to the news that he still had family when he'd always considered himself an orphan. Finally he muttered "whatever", not knowing what else to say. Was he supposed to be _happy_ that he had a father when that same parental figure had never bothered to try and find out he _existed_? Maybe overhearing Zell in the cafeteria all those times had given him the wrong idea of family, because if he went by Zell's definition of the word; _Shiva_ could almost be considered his parent, much more than any President of Esthar could be, no matter that one half of his genetic code had been donated by the man, given that the GF had always been there for him and supported him through most everything in his life, at least that was the case after he got old enough to Junction. He didn't need a father; he was more than old enough to take care of things himself.

Seifer only chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say."

The silence between them grew again. As the moment lengthened, Squall realized that Seifer had weaseled his way out of explaining his outburst yet again. And while it was tempting to just let the matter die, something told him that it was vitally important that Seifer explain himself. And when dealing with Seifer in this mood, brute force was the only way to get the blond talking, as in, condition for losing one of their spars, brute force. Anything less was a waste of time. And their fight in the Lunatic Pandora had been interrupted by the advent of Time Compression… an idea to make the blond talk began to take shape.

"We never finished our fight."

"Huh?" was Seifer's intelligent response. Not bothering to reply, Squall stood up and unsheathed Lionheart, giving Seifer a meaningful look as he did so. The blond caught on quickly. "You're serious, Puberty-Boy? Any conditions you want to add to keep things interesting?"

"No Junctions, no magic, no Limits and no potions. I win, you explain yourself. Fight ends at first blood or submission, whatever first."

Seifer stood, grinning arrogantly as he unsheathed Hyperion. "And if _I _win, you come back to Garden without a fuss, _and_ you keep your pretty little nose out of my business."

Squall merely nodded, waiting for the minor light show that was signified Seifer was unJunctioning his various GFs, before attacking head on, Lionheart catching Hyperion with a clang of specially tempered steel.

As the fight went on Squall finally had the opportunity to evaluate and appreciate just how much Seifer's skills had improved over the long fight with Ultimecia. But the blond wasn't the only one who had improved and Squall could feel a hot, bloody joy well up within him as he matched his rival strike for strike. This, this was pure sparring, with nothing resting on the blades but bragging rights and their private wager. But just because the lives of thousands didn't rest on Hyperion and Lionheart as they clashed, separated, and clashed again, didn't mean that he could take the match lightly. Seifer would kill him without hesitation if he did that. He's do the same in Seifer's place. And Squall had just enough pride that he wouldn't let the blond win without a fight.

He shifted his grips, trying for an underhand thrust, but found himself having to duck an overhead slash from Hyperion instead. By the time he looked up, the opening he was going for was gone, fixed in the split-second he'd taken his eye off it. But while Seifer had closed that one hole, another had opened up. He went for it, nearly cursing aloud as Seifer blocked his strike at the last possible moment. They were in a perfect stalemate, something that hadn't happened since that fateful duel that had ended with both participants marked for life.

But no stalemate could go on forever. In real combat, the use of magic, GFs and limit breaks kept such dead periods from continuing indefinitely, if they developed at all. With all the fancy tricks outlawed by the conditions for the duel, it was a battle of stamina, the first to give under the punishing pace would lose, and Squall was determined that that would not be him. Of course, he knew that Seifer was equally determined, but that just made things fun.

There, another opening, Squall dodged, ducked, and thrust, Lionheart ending up a hairsbreadth away from Seifer's throat. Only he'd left himself open in that thrust, resulting in Hyperion's point gently pricking his ribs over his belly. The result was obvious to an idiot. Double kill, mutually assured destruction, tie, draw, all meaning the same thing. They had both lost.

The shock was naked on Seifer's face as they broke apart. Squall didn't need to look up from his immediate painstaking inspection of Lionheart's edge to see it, and knew that if his control were any less, then Seifer would have seen an expression of mirroring shock on his own face. This had _never _happened before, not in all their years of picking fights with each other. The usual method of operation between them would be that one or the other would propose the spar/fight, one or the other would win, and the winner would lord it over the other, until yet another spar/fight had been provoked and the other rival won. That was how it had always been, or at least how it had been until now.

Finally convinced that Lionheart had taken no irreparable damage in the spar, Squall looked up from his gunblade and speared Seifer with a "_well_" glare. It was time for Seifer to spill his guts as per their agreement. As expected, Seifer looked mulish, unwilling to speak up, though it likely just for appearances given that Seifer no longer had any choice wither to talk or not. Squall snorted to himself as Seifer opened and closed his mouth several times, apparently unable to decide just how to phrase his explanation. No matter. There was no way now for Seifer to get out of his side of the bargain.

It happened so fast, that Squall nearly missed it. Instead of speaking, Seifer had walked up to him, clasped Squall's face between his hands, and laid a surprisingly gentle kiss on surprised lips.

//\\

Ok, here's how it goes. My muse has made an executive decision (on which I wasn't consulted in the least given that there's a good bit more I wanted to write) that this story is over. However, if I get enough reviews asking for more, I might, _might_ be able to drag out a little more closure to this story. I did manage to get Seifer and Squall together like I promised in the summery (at least I like to think so, I'll leave it up to your judgment withier or not I actually succeeded). I'll hold off adding the complete marker for at least a week for wither or not I get the reviews encouraging me to add more or not. If I do decide to add more, the complete marker will only be added when it's done. So if it stays up longer than a week, know that I'm working on adding the conclusion.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you my readers for sticking with me so long. It's been real fun working on this for you. Working on this has given me a real appreciation for what it takes to write a multi-chapter story, and a new sympathy for those writers who have stories that extend to double or triple the number of chapters that mine does, and I sincerely admire what it must have taken, or still takes, to keep it going so long.

Thanks for all of your advice and encouragement.


	11. Chapter 11

Icicle knight, fiery SeeD

Chapter 11

//\\

Seifer had actually kept his word; or his implied word anyway, Squall reflected to himself. Somehow, in the two months they'd been back in their own time period (Squall _still_ wasn't sure how the blond had managed it, and wasn't sure if he wanted to know how), Seifer had managed to sell to the general public some story that had quieted down and actually deflected most of the blame for the Second Sorceress War away from the ex-knight's shoulders. There were of course, limits to what even Seifer could do with such a fickle thing as public opinion, but if his reception in the cafeteria had cooled down somewhat, or if he still received the occasional death threat in his weekly mail, Squall couldn't honestly have cared less.

That didn't mean that he drifted through Garden's corridors without a purpose or without a thought in his head. Something had been bothering him since he'd returned, and he wasn't at all sure of what it meant.

That Kiss. That one brief Kiss Seifer had given him during Time Compression. _Why_ had Seifer done that? And why, when the kiss was over (much too soon a part of his mind had protested), had Seifer jumped away, and ordered him back to Garden as if the kiss had never happened? He'd obeyed, that had been his forfeit for 'losing' their spar, but now, back in Garden there was nothing he could do but think about what had happened between the two of them between times.

It wasn't as if he had anything better to do. As Seifer had warned, he was on probation, under surveillance, and his security clearance had been reduced to the level of an underclass cadet. That meant, in a nutshell, no assignments, no missions, and no classified access of anything under any circumstances. The one upper level control he did have, for which he was profoundly grateful, was the access and ability to program high level monsters in the Training Center so that at least he wasn't going stir-crazy with nothing challenging to do. Consequently, he spent a lot of time there, systematically going through the database and singlehandedly slaughtering T-Rexars, Grats, Marlboros, and whatever else the system had a record of that looked to be even a slight challenge. It wasn't as if he had anything human to fight.

Because Seifer was avoiding him. Why, Squall had no idea. Sure, he claimed that he was busy with his new responsibilities (he'd been dumbfounded when he found out that Seifer had actually been telling the Hyne-dammed _truth_ about his new status in Garden) but Squall had seen the blond exiting the Training Center just the other day with his posse after what had obviously been a long and challenging workout, given the size of the dark sweat-marks still marring their clothes. Not only that, but when he'd walked up to Seifer, intending to challenge him to another match, the blond had seen him, apologized to his posse, and turned around and walked in the opposite direction. There had been no way to follow Seifer and find out what was wrong (even if chasing after someone was a trademark of his (because it _wasn't_), because Fujin had seen him as well and given him such a scorching glare out of her single eye that he'd known at once that there'd been no way he'd get past her. Asking if she could possibly return Shiva to him had also been out of the question.

This new dynamic between Seifer and himself was… troubling. Usually, he was the one hiding away, and Seifer being the one to initiate their encounters. Now Seifer was the one hiding, hiding himself away in his new responsibilities, leaving the position of initiator to Squall, and he wasn't at all sure how to deal with this new situation. He could track as well as any SeeD, could propose and analyze a military strategy with only the slightest scraps of Intelligence to go on and no sleep, but analyzing an individual's possible motivations for a given set of actions was not a skill he excelled at, and was usually left to another member of the team, that is, if there were any. And it wasn't as if there was anyone he could go to and ask for help interpreting this situation. There were only a very small number of people in Garden who he trusted enough to get help with problems, that is to say, none. If anyone had bothered to ask him who his closest friend was in Garden, the one he trusted the most, he would have had to say Seifer, though that was before Ultimecia and the Sorceress War. He hadn't bothered to try and generate ties with his classmates, being of the general opinion that it was better to be independent and aloof in a facility that thrived on death and destruction. The only consequent of that opinion meant that he had no one to help him understand things when he got stuck. Which, admittedly, didn't happen often, but there were some times, like now, when he needed another perspective in order to make sense of a situation.

"Squally!" the delighted voice echoing through the packed Lobby made him abruptly freeze with dread. Selphie, still as loud and energetic as she'd been that time he'd shown her around Garden that day before the Exam, was one of the few people who seemed to be without even the slightest stirrings of resentment over the War, going so far as to actually physically jump all over him when Seifer had led him up to Garden's front gate. In the two months since Ultimecia's defeat, not all the preparations for the upcoming Garden festival, nor all the quick missions Seifer had sent her on to raise much needed cash for Garden, could dent her massive supply of energy or diminish her desire to get Squall to "open up a bit more" or some other similar inanity.

Abruptly, a thought struck him with the knowledge that he could hit two Grats with one swing as it were. He needed to figure out Seifer's behavior, Selphie wanted him to talk to her about his problems. With any luck, he could get the yellow-dressed hyper SeeD off his back while getting his… (ok, he could admit it), _problem_ taken care of.

Resigned to his fate, Squall stopped walking and suffered the brightly-dressed SeeD to catch up and physically glomp herself all over him, nearly knocking him on his ass and already talking his ear off a mile a minute. Interrupting her blow-by-blow rendition of the escort mission that she'd just returned from, he let her know that he wanted to talk to her about something. Predictably, she nearly deafened him with her _squees _of joy and proceeded to continue talking his ear off as they moved together out of the crowded Lobby in search of a quieter place where they could talk, or at least that was Squall's destination. It was… nice, he supposed having someone around who didn't seem to notice when he failed to respond, who was content to babble on about whatever streamed through her head, only breaking off her excited monologue to offer bright greetings to those she had already assembled as fast friends.

Finally reaching a place where he was reasonably confident that he wouldn't be overheard, he faced Selphie and fixed her with a hard glare. "If I _ever_ hear that you've told _anyone_ what I'm about to tell you, they'll still be hunting for all your body parts in Ultimecia's home era. Do you understand me?" a bit over the top perhaps, but usually it was best to establish all potential consequences ahead of time. That was what he did with Seifer, though that blond jackass would often disregard such heartfelt threats to his person, preferring to deliberately push into such forbidden zones in order to goad Squall into reacting.

And he was _not_ thinking about moronic blonds, _not_ thinking about moronic blonds _at all_, and definitely _not_ thinking about moronic blonds who were actually better kissers than Squall had given him credit for, despite the frequent boasts…

Argh. Not. Helping. That was another thing that was aggravating him. No matter what he did, no matter where he went, his mind always returned to Seifer and the Kiss. It didn't help matters at all that the place he'd chosen to speak to Selphie, the one place that he was reasonably sure would be empty at this time of day, was the Secret Area in the heart of the Training Center, the place where all the couples in Garden went to "be alone together".

Focus. Talk to Selphie, get these Hyne damned feelings out of his way, and move on with his life; alone as always. The sooner he began, the sooner it would be done.

/\

Pensive, Squall aimlessly wandered Garden's halls, Selphie's advice still turning over endlessly in his mind. Once Selphie had stopped loudly squealing in obscure joy and jumping happily up and down for exactly three solid minutes straight (he'd timed her on a moment's whim), her advice had been surprisingly brief and to the point: talk things out with Seifer.

No matter how he… (_not_ begged _nor _pleaded, he didn't _do _those things thank you very much)… _asked _that Selphie reconsider her advice, the petite SeeD had been adamant. She hadn't relented for anything, not when he'd told her that he wasn't accustomed to talking out his problems, not when he'd told her that Seifer had been avoiding him recently, not even when he'd told her that Fujin was guarding her leader from him. While the silver-haired Sorceress hadn't uttered the word "RAGE!!" in his direction yet, but Squall knew better than to try and predict her actions when she believed that Seifer needed protection. And from her glare outside the Training Center, she obviously believed that he, Squall, had done something to Seifer during Time Compression, the only thing stopping her from taking action, was that she had no proof of such occurrence, and that Seifer would kill her himself if she attacked him without that proof.

While that was more than reason enough to steer clear of Fujin in this mood, Squall had extra reason to avoid her. Even though Fujin had taken Raijin for her knight (using Seifer had been out of the question given a knight's subservient relationship to his sorceress), the part of him that had been Ultimecia's knight still recognized the familiar feel of sorceress magic. The mind-consuming nature of the bond of knighthood still drew him at times, tempting him with a return to the joys of service. Squall doubted that anyone except him noticed the slight difference in Raijin's behavior since the brawny member of Seifer's posse had become Fujin's knight, especially since Raijin had always submitted his will to Fujin's, even before the claiming had happened. It was subtle, but for those who were aware of it, the increased deference and fawning had been as clear as a shout. Despite that, and while Squall logically knew that Fujin was far to devoted to Seifer to pose any kind of threat, he still found it hard to stay in Fujin's company for long. The pull of magic on his mind, far too similar to Ultimecia's, made it hard for him to trust himself around the sorceress. And given that trust was all that had brought him back and kept him at Garden…

No matter _how_ he felt about Fujin at the moment, it was a fact that unless the one-eyed Sorceress gave her approval, he wouldn't get anywhere _near_ Seifer alive. Failing that approval, the only way he'd encounter Seifer would be if Seifer sought him out himself… which given the blond's behavior since they'd both returned to Garden wasn't likely.

Abruptly, Squall turned around and made his way back to the Training Center. A new monster had been added to the database last week and he had yet to try Lionheart against it. This would be the perfect opportunity. The gossip in the corridors said that it was extremely smart, quick and agile; all features that made it extremely deadly and thus had been banned from all but active-duty SeeDs and the uppermost level of cadets from even attempting testing their strength against it. If he couldn't talk to Seifer and get these bothersome emotions out of his way that way, then at least he could work up enough of a sweat to make even his mind stop working. A brawl with the latest monster, something he'd never encountered before and thus had no immediate idea how to destroy, might just be what Dr. Kadowaki ordered to get his mind off things. With his focus on the fight, there would be no room left over to obsess over Seifer; that damned Kiss, or anything else.

//\\

Safe in his office, something that sounded so supremely wrong to Seifer even as he thought it, the blond SeeD Commander sighed gustily and let his forehead solidly pang the desk in front of him, hard, several times, ignoring the mess that that made of his paperwork. Fucking _paperwork_. He'd signed up for SeeD to fight armies and monsters, not be turned into some Hyne-be-damned _secretary_. Not for the first time, he toyed longingly with the idea of solving all his paperwork problems with one quick Fira, but Fujin would _know_, somehow she_ always_ knew, and then he'd have double the amount of work to do; and all of it under a disapproving ruby eye at that.

After one last solid strike to the wood, he let his forehead rest for a moment on the desk and sighed gustily, then sat up and cast Cure on his aching skull. What was he kidding? Grousing to himself about paperwork (though exactly _how_ Cid had held up under that load Seifer didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to) wasn't going to distract him from his current problem, the one that wore indecently tight leathers, and was the only one in the entire world who came close to Seifer's skill with gunblade or any other weapon. Yes, that was right, Star SeeD and Commander of Balamb Garden, Seifer Almasy, the man with a closet full of well-trained mercenary toy soldiers to do his fearsome bidding, the fearless warrior who had stood up to and taken down an insane Sorceress who had nearly squished Time itself, was fucking _afraid_. And he had damned good reason to be.

Time Compression had quit on them barely moments after the all-important Kiss, so there had been little to no time to gage Squall for reactions before they'd both been pulled into the public eye, not that such signs would have been immediately obvious even if there'd been hours with which to study the brunet's reactions, particularly since even getting him to simply raise an eyebrow took an amount of effort that made pulling well-rooted teeth from a writhing prisoner look easy. And _no_, he _wasn't_ exaggerating, well, not by _that_ much. And even though he'd won the war, and had accomplished all of his private tasks in the bargain, make SeeD, bring Squall back to Garden, he felt like he had lost something, something Hyne-damned important, if only he knew what the fuck that was.

Actually, he knew damn well what he'd lost. He'd lost _Squall_, the rival who would glare at him as a means of communicating, the fighter who was the only one in the world who could give him a decent fight. A satisfied grin split his face as he contemplated that deadlocked spar, the one that had proved beyond all measure exactly just how equal they were in skill. That had been a _glorious_ fight, one that had validated everything he'd thought he'd known about his rival. And then the grin disappeared. No sooner had he achieved that perfect communion with his rival, no sooner had he proved that their strength was equal in (almost) every way, he'd had to ruin it all with that stupid Kiss. Why had he done that? Why had he jeopardized everything he valued by moving beyond the boundaries of their rivalry? Even if explaining his temper tantrum had been Squall's condition for winning, that didn't mean that he'd actually had to tell the truth, did it? Well…, given that Squall had always been able to see through even his most careful lies as if they were as obvious as the obnoxiously colored Ragnarok in middle of the fucking Centran Desert, then, yeah, he did have to. But couldn't he have found a different way than kissing him!

Thankfully, Seifer found himself jarred out of his thoughts before they could drive him completely mad by Fujin's timely arrival. And even though Balamb Garden's resident Sorceress gave him the inevitable stink-eye for the state of his desk; littered as it was by untidy, partly-finished and undone paperwork, with not so much as a completed form in sight, Seifer welcomed the interruption, given that it meant a distraction from the self-castigating thoughts of Squall that had been chasing him ever since his return to Garden.

Or at least, it should have meant that. It looked as if Fujin had been thinking about Puberty-boy as well. "LEONHART." She barked.

Seifer blinked stupidly for a minute up at his lieutenant's short height. Then he recovered himself. "What about the boy-wonder?" he paused, thinking for a moment, then glared warningly up at Fujin. "If you've attacked him while unarmed…" he let the threat die away. Squall was good enough to make mincemeat out of Fujin armed, but given that the former knight was barred from carrying his weapon outside the Training Center as one of the conditions of his probation, not to mention harsher than usual penalties imposed on him for any fighting at all outside of designated practice areas, it was a better than even chance that if Fujin had ambushed him in the corridors (something she had done to those violating curfew more than once), his rival might not have been able to put up a proper defense.

"DONE NOTHING. TALK."

"You talked to Leonhart? About what?"

"NO. TALK TO SEIFER. LEONHART."

Seifer could feel a headache begin to build. "What _about_ Leonhart?" if his constant confusion and frustration around Garden's resident charity case (as he'd overheard two cadets snidely talking amongst themselves say a week ago, at least before he'd burst in on them and sentenced them both to the most onerous round of detentions he could think of, and being the former head of the Disciplinary Committee he knew several), didn't go away _soon_, he'd go insane. At least, more insane than the precarious level of sanity he already enjoyed. "If you had any reservations about my allowing him back to Garden, you'd have brought it up long before now. So what is it?"

"TIME COMPRESSION."

"Time Compression's been over for nearly two months now, Fuu. You'll have to do better than that."

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

"With Leonhart?" Seifer guessed, trying to hide the sudden nervousness he felt. _Shit_, he did _not_ need this. He'd never been able to hide anything from Fujin,_ ever_, and this was _not_ something he wanted to get into, right now or ever. "After killing the Evil Bitch, I found him where he was freezing his pretty little ass off in some Hyne-forsaken wasteland, Hyne only knows where or when he was, and convinced him to come home." All true, even though he'd left out certain vital pieces of what really happened.

It didn't fool Fujin for a second. "LIES." She insisted forcibly.

He scowled darkly up at her, wishing that Fujin would just take his word that nothing of note had happened for once. The target of said glare didn't react outside of raising one eyebrow in question, being more than used to the strength of his glares in the past. Then he shifted his expression to one of his most wounded ones, mentally snorting when all it did was raise the enquiring eyebrow higher. Fujin was as immune to his cute looks as she was to his glares.

Busted. Right now, Seifer hated passionately that Fujin had always been able to read him so easily. It was almost uncanny the way that both she and Squall were able to know when he was telling the truth-

Hyne's fucking flaming Balls! With a groan of pure frustration, Seifer sagged, cradling his skull in the palms of his hands, trying to suppress his sudden urge to burst out in hysterical laughter. Why did everything in Garden always lead back to the Pansy-ass Puberty-boy recently? Even the sanctuary of his office (and Seifer again internally shuddered at the traitorous thought), wasn't completely safe, given that Fujin had walked right through the doors and brought the specter of his rival into the space.

Briefly, Seifer considered trying to fool Fujin further into believing that nothing had happened between himself and Squall in Time Compression. Just as quickly, he discarded that notion, knowing that any such efforts would be in vain. And while Fujin might not be the most articulate in a serious conversation, she also wouldn't spread tales all over Garden, especially if he asked her to keep her mouth shut. Maybe if he talked to her about this, much as the mere _thought _gave him hives, the Hyne-blasted thoughts and feelings would just _go away_.

Sighing, and looking anywhere but at his lieutenant, Seifer spilled. "I did find Puberty-boy in a fucking wasteland. Tried to get him to come back to Garden, but Squally-boy wasn't having any of it. I tried several tactics, told him I was going to bring him back, that I had a way to shield him from the worst of the responsibility of Ultimecia's rampage, he wasn't having any of it. Oh, he believed me," he hastened to say in response to Fujin's raised eyebrow. "But the Ice Princess was so fucking independent as usual that he couldn't understand why I was willing to go to the lengths I'd specified just to take him back when it was _obvious_ that "I'd just leave him alone again eventually". "

"ANGRY?" Seifer snorted at Fujin's matter-of-fact tone, apparently his Sorceress knew him and his relationship to Squall (even though she was still in the dark about the majority of it) well enough to know the likely result of that statement.

"Yeah, I _was_ pissed. I blew up at him, yelled at him that if he'd only looked, that he'd find out that I had been with him the entire time, that he'd been the one to leave me and other such shit. I was building up a fine head of steam when something occurred to me." He caught Fujin's sardonic eye and winced. Ok, fine. Maybe he was laying it a bit on too thick, but that was the only way he knew how to express what had been and still was going through his mind.

Too agitated to stay still, Seifer leapt to his feet and began to pace. "I'd _never_ given up on him Fuu. _Never_. Not at the parade, not after D-District where he literally _tortured_ me with fucking electricity, not after Trabia and nearly _destroying_ Garden, or after Galbadia Garden's attack, not even during the Lunar Cry and at Lunatic Pandora. I _never_ believed that he couldn't be taken back, _never_ lost faith in him. _Ever_. Why? I should have. Standard procedure says that on mission, and especially when Garden is threatened, personal opinions go out the figurative window. So _why_!"

Silence. Not Fujin's normal silence, something that was nearly as legendary in Garden gossip as his rivalry with Squall-_not_ thinking about him right now!-this was something different. This was her shocked silence, one that Seifer had only experienced a bare handful of times since she's joined his posse. The last time he'd heard (or not heard, as case very well maybe) that silence, it had been when he'd told his posse that Squall Leonhart had been brainwashed into defecting from Garden by a mind-raping, time-traveling, Sorceress.

"SO?" thankfully Fujin's voice eventually broke through Seifer's current thoughts. Tossing her a grateful glance, Seifer mentally shook off the cluttered tangents that even the merest thought of Squall brought to his mind. Shit, he almost _missed_ the war, at least then he'd had other things to focus on, and there hadn't been a distinctive leather-clad ass turning heads all over Garden and distracting him whenever he had a dull moment.

_Focus_. Shaking his head, Seifer continued. "I realized when Leonhart denied my presence, that it bothered me on more than one level. There was the rival relationship, shit, I sound like a civilian teenage girl saying that, that he was denying, but there was more to it than just that. It was like…." He broke off, swearing pungently, as the words to describe what he'd felt two months ago failed to come to him. He tried again. "…like I'd… I'd based my entire _life_ around him in one way or another, and it meant _nothing_ to him!" with an impassioned oath, he began pacing again, still ranting away.

"HATED THAT." Fujin interrupted, obviously seeing where he was trying to go with this. Exactly _when _had he complained about the mind-reading qualities of his lieutenant? He couldn't remember now, and he must have been mistaken. They were a godsend now, ensuring that he didn't have to find words to communicate complicated matters.

"HAPPENED NEXT?" Or maybe, those qualities weren't so great after all. Calming down slightly from his fury, he answered Fujin as well as he could.

"Leonhart got curious, wondered what inspired my little tantrum upon receiving that not so little epiphany. Naturally, I refused, thinking that I'd end up with Puberty-boy's blue beauty in my chest or through my skull if I told him…" too late Seifer realized that that wasn't the best thing to share with an overprotective Sorceress. He cringed slightly as her glare reached incendiary levels and actually took his life in his hands by stopping her with a hand on her shoulder from running out of his office and disemboweling the ex-knight wherever he happened to be.

"I only _thought_ that, he never drew even a drop of blood from me." He insisted as strongly as he could when she turned that burning glare on him for getting in between her and her prey. "Stand _down_." He added for good measure when that pronouncement failed to relax her completely. "Do you want me to finish telling you what happened between me and Leonhart during Time Compression, or what?"

Stony silence. After a minute or so of standoff, with Seifer doing his best to avoid crumbling under his lieutenant's acid glare, Fujin lowered her gaze, all lines of threat leaving her posture. Another minute of sharp scrutiny, just to be sure that Fujin wasn't faking so she could make a break for the door the instant he dropped his guard, and Seifer stepped back as well, ready to continue his tale.

"Anyway, what I was saying was that for once our usual roles were reversed." At Fujin's questioning glance, Seifer elaborated. "He was the one pressing me for answers, and I was shutting him down, even if I was using more words to try and get him to back down than he would. He didn't give up, not as if I ever did, and eventually proposed a spar to finish our business in Lunatic Pandora with my explaining myself as his condition for winning. And don't look like that Fuu, it was tame compared to some of our previous duels. And we used our usual conditions on it, no magical assists, no GF's, first blood or submission marks the win."

He grinned, unable to help himself at the thought of that magnificent match. Hyne's flaming balls, but _that_ had been one wonderful fight! "WON?" was Fujin's guess seeing that expression.

Seifer shook his head, still grinning like a fool. "No. Double kill. That's what made it so great." If only he could have savored that sensation, of feeling so completely matched with his rival that neither one had been able to claim victory. Sure, winning was great, but _nothing_ could match that feeling. As it was, the slightly dumbfounded expression on Fuu's normally impassive face now nearly made up for the lack of proper afterglow then.

Then his expression sobered. The fight had been amazing, but what had come after it, had been the cause of the many sleepless nights he'd struggled through before finally knuckling under and began hitting himself with a Sleep spell when he had to crash. He couldn't exactly call the dreams he'd been having nightmares; as a matter of fact, if he were completely honest with himself (something he hated doing), he'd have to call them the most erotic wet dreams he'd had in his life. While on the whole that wasn't a bad thing, it was the content of those dreams that had him either trying to stay up all night or putting himself immediately out with magic to completely (he hoped) skip the dreaming stage of sleep. Sure, he'd had wet dreams of Squall before, but never anything like this.

Thankfully he didn't have too long to brood on the subject of his recent dreams. Fujin noticed his altered mood almost at once, and in her typical blunt manner, tried to do something about it. "WHAT?" she asked, trying to understand just what had caused his giddy mood over the tie to vanish so abruptly. When Seifer didn't answer immediately, merely shaking his head slightly at nothing, she insisted he speak. "TALK."

Carefully looking anywhere but at the silver-haired Sorceress, Seifer spoke quickly. "You remember how Trepe and the other Instructors never could understand why my and Leonhart's rivalry consumed so much of our focus here at Garden? It was all well and good when we practiced techniques on each other, and studied hard to show each other up in class, but often they would try and separate us due to one or the other of us ending up in the Infirmary with some training accident or another, and how both of us resisted any such efforts?" he barely paused long enough for Fujin to nod before continuing on. "The same…I don't know… stuff that made me more determined to continue competing with Leonhart the harder people tried to keep us away, and no matter how much I enjoyed the responsibilities of running the Disciplinary Committee, there's a record of a formal recommendation in Cid's files that I be given that to do, with the intention that I would be so busy with rounds, training, and studies that I'd leave him alone. That feeling, it… intensified during the war. Sometimes I could barely think past the fury that Ultibitch had _taken _him, _not_ from _Garden_, but from _me_. "

Groaning, he dropped back into his chair and covered his eyes with the back of his forearm, trying to fight the headache that was building as he tried to clue his lieutenant in on something that was so instinctive to him. Then again, it may be instinctive, but if he couldn't articulate it even to himself, then he didn't have a hope to Hyne of sharing it with Fuu.

When he lowered his arm, it was to find Fujin studying him with that disconcertingly fixed stare she had. Seifer had appreciated that stare, usually when it was turned on some unsuspecting cadet that had just been fingered for smuggling contraband into Garden. It usually worked like a charm, getting the little troublemakers to squeal like the little rats they were after just a few minutes of enduring that silent, fixed stare. He'd never apprieciated just how disconcerting that stare was before, given that it had never been turned in his direction before. Finally he couldn't stand the pressure and cracked under it, just like so many others. "Just spit out what you're thinking. I can handle it, whatever it is." He demanded, desperate to get Fujin to let him go before he went insane.

"SURE?"

"I told you, just spit it out!"

"LOVE" Fujin declared with finally, at last releasing Seifer from her penetrating gaze. Reflexively he shuddered, shaking of the chills produced by that stare, then turned confused sea-green eyes on the sorceress who was standing in his office with a tiny smile actually dancing around normally rock-solid lips.

"Uh... you want to clear that up Fuu? I don't think I understood that." While normally he had no problem translating Fujin's verbal brevity, but even if he and some trouble, he could at least get a sense of what his silver-haired sorceress was saying. This time though, he had to be mistaken, had to be misreading Fujin's sparse verbal and physical cues because if he wasn't…

"Hey Seifer, this is where you've been hiding! I mean sure," Raijin laughed as he pushed the ridiculous door open with his brawny arms full, "you've got work to do, but I never expected that you'd actually spend more time in here than you had to…" as Raijin bounced into the office holding some more of the dreaded paperwork, no doubt the class evaluations Trepe had been threatening him with last week, Seifer felt one of the strongest surges of gratitude he'd ever felt toward the muscle of his posse. Normally Seifer would have dreaded the sight, but now even the advent of more paperwork was welcomed as a relief from the current conversation. _Anything _was preferable to the confusing thoughts that both Fujin and Squall had been dragging up in his already crowded brain for the past few months and most notably the past hour. Any distraction would be welcomed. Even if it was more blasted paperwork.

No such luck. Using more perceptiveness than he was known for, Raijin glanced slowly between the other members of the posse, taking in Seifer's defensive posture, contrasted by the light and open demeanor Fujin sported, complete with the small secretive smile about her lips.

"Uh…Seifer? Fujin? Fill me in on what's going on, ya know? 'Cause I know that_ something's_ going down, and don't you try and deny it Seifer!"

Traitors, the both of them. Helpless to stop it, Seifer could only listen as Fujin was all too happy to enlighten Raijin of what had been discussed prior to his arrival. "SEIFER, LEONHART. LOVE." He cringed as the very facts he would have preferred kept quiet about (especially if they happened to be true, something he still wasn't sure of) were shared. Well, at least it was Raijin, and not Xu or Trepe, or Hyne help him Tillmit. Raijin would at least keep what knowladge _didn't exist_ regarding his love life (or lack of same) to himself. They were a posse, after all. He truly didn't have any reason to hide things from Raijin anyway, but it got fucking _hard_ to share secrets with your friends when you didn't understand them yourself.

Raijin blanched at the implication of Fujin's words, darkly tanned skin paling rapidly. Seeing his subordinate glance at him for confirmation, Seifer shrugged, wishing he could do so diffidently. "Don't look at _me_, _I'm_ not the one suggesting something so crazy." And he and Raijin shared a speaking glance that recalled other times when Fujin had gotten an idea between her teeth and would never let go until she'd been proven right. Then they sobered. Those instances may have been few in number, Seifer could count the number of times they had occurred since the posse formed on one hand, but Fujin had _always_ been right, no matter how strange and insane they may have been.

In reply to their antics, the silver-haired Sorceress scowled at her two friends in a non-threatening manner, as in, with just enough strength to convince them she was serious but not so strongly that they pissed their pants. "SEIFER. LOVE LEONHART." She insisted again, the gleam in her single eye warning Seifer not to challenge her in this. "PERMISSION GRANTED."

"Permission to do what exactly Fuu?" he asked guardedly. Sometimes, ok it was most of the time he could follow Fujin's mental leaps, but today he was feeling a bit slow.

"LEONHART ,TALK. NOW. GO."

"But I have paperwork to do!" he burst out, more out of a reflexive desire to avoid the ex-knight than because he actually wanted to do paperwork, Hyne forbid. "I have a Garden to run, I don't have time to chase down the King of 'Whatever' in the vain hope that he's feeling sociable!" a one eyed crimson glare silenced any further protests before they could be voiced.

"LEONHART, LOCATION?" The glare turned and nailed Raijin to the spot. Her knight fidgeted under his Sorceress's stare; then caved.

"I think he's in the Training Center, tackling that new monster, the one that the recent cleanup teams brought the specs back for, ya know? Only that was a couple hours ago. He's got to be somewhere else by now, ya know?"

Despite the fact that he wasn't exactly eager to locate his rival, Seifer help snorting in derision at Raijin's inane pronouncement. Shaking his head slightly, he stood up and gave Raijin a swift smack upside the head, all the way re-educating his slower partner about one brunet ex-knight. "Have you forgotten just how obsessively Leonhart prefers to train? After the million and one times we had to pull him out of the Training Center after curfew? Add that to the fact that a) he doesn't have much else to do given that his Library Clearance got yanked back to first year level and the only place he can so much as hold his weapon now is the Training Center and b) he's got a new toy in the form of the new monster that everyone wants to see how their skills stack up against. Once he goes in there now, he's only coming out on his own to eat or sleep; if that." He shook his head pityingly.

Raijin opened his mouth to protest the harangue, but abruptly shut it, casting an inquiring glance at Fuu, which earned him a small, confirming nod in reply. Seifer's hackles instinctively rose at the sight, though he couldn't say just why. What had his posse figured out…? Then his blood froze when he mentally added his rant to the exchange about himself and Leonhart. No… it _wasn't_ true. Snarling in defeat, Seifer did something he had only rarely done before, and had never before done from his posse. He ran.

//\\

Ok, I know I said that I'd just be finishing up the story in this chapter, and that was what I honestly intended to do. Only, unless I want to use a deus ex machina ending (which I really don't want to do, it would be utterly wrong for both Seifer and Squall…) I'll have to take the slow route to finishing this story. And that means starting diagramming the story out again, because I'm flying blind now and have no idea where I'm going except that I want Seifer and Squall in each other's pants before the story is done. So hang with me. Good news is that finals are right on top of me, so that means that summer break is only one week from actuality.

Sorry about the long wait. Part of the hazard of trying to write an undiagrammed chapter….

See you all again soon


	12. Chapter 12

Icicle knight, fiery SeeD

Chapter 12

//\\

Selphie grinned maniacally to herself as she skipped down Garden's corridors. Squall was in _lo-ve_! And with Seifer no less!!! This was far too good to pass up. She _wished_ she could spread the news, but she really didn't want to test Squall's temper where gossip was concerned. Which was a crying shame because she was sitting right atop the best story _ever_ to hit Garden, and she couldn't tell _anybody!!!_

For the moment, Selphie forcibly put aside her disappointment on that score, and concentrated on the good stuff. Namely, the prospective matchmaking duties she was bound and determined to perform, by which she was referring to her plots to get both Squall and Seifer snuggled up together doing naughty things. She let out loud giggle at the thought, causing several passing cadets to look at her nervously, more-than-likely already aware of her penchant for well-meaning chaos due to her already-elaborate plans for this year's Garden festival and the pranks she'd played on the various common areas since the War.

Well, what was _wrong_ with wanting a little variety to the daily grind? Sure, there was plenty to do in the day, what with missions and training, and planning, and matchmaking, and all sorts of other mandatory activities (how she hated that word, _mandatory_, ugh) but even the fullest schedule would get _boring _if it went on uninterrupted for too long. She was doing everyone a favor, really….

Wait a minute. Just because she'd promised not to talk about her conversation with Squall, didn't mean that she couldn't get help with her scheme to set her old Squad leader up with Seifer. And given how stubborn those two boys were, she'd definitely need all the help she could get.

Now, how to begin, she mused. Well, she'd have to get Fujin's permission to start with; nothing and no one could get near Seifer without the approval of Garden's Sorceress and Security director. After that hurdle was passed, then she could get to the good stuff. Things like coded reminders about Squall placed on Seifer's desk and rumors about both of them in the halls. Investigation into Seifer's favorite foodstuffs would be a must, and the same would have to go for Squall as well. The only thing that put a major crimp on her plans was both how subtle and at the time how obvious she would have to be, given that both in the boys were pigheaded morons who were as clumsy as T-rexars when it came to their feelings (and just as violent when crossed), and if she came on too strong or too weak for any reason at any time, they'd try and kill each other instead of something more interesting. Or they'd kill _her_ before they did _anything_ interesting, and _then_ she wouldn't be able to take pictures of them doing the nasty!!

Thus, a full three quarters of her matchmaking strategies were totally off limits, major suckage that it was. _But,_ she thought with forced cheerfulness, the groundwork for her plans was already in place for her, not that either of the boys were as yet aware of that fact. Seifer no doubt thought that his feelings for Squall were a secret, but well, if he didn't want her to know, then he shouldn't have had that loud and detailed wet dream when she was on watch during the trek to Esthar. There was no need to plant the seeds of attraction here, all she had to do was water what already existed regularly, and nurture them with care, and love (not to mention lust as well), should bloom.

Disregarding any thoughts for both the personal opinions and emotional comfort zones of her vict-er matchmaking clients (and any concern she may have had for her personal safety if either of them got wind of her activities) Selphie began plotting her strategy.

//\\

Two weeks later, Squall snarled to himself as he stalked from the Training Center in a huff. Was there no place in Garden anymore where he could find some _peace_ and _quiet?_ Recently, as in just a few days ago, a rumor has swept Garden, one that seemed to involve him in some way if the furtive silences whenever he entered a room said anything at all.

The one so called "fact" that he'd been able to unearth, was that his wasn't the only name on everyone's lips, thanks to a loose-lipped cadet who hadn't realized he was there when entering the Cafeteria with her friends. Seifer was involved as well, though for once, Squall had no idea why. Though he might have been able to figure it out if Shiva was restored to him: the hearing boost granted by Junctioning the Ice GF would make finding out what the rumors entailed and who was behind them child's play.

As if to affirm his resolve, his hand slipped down to where Lionheart's hilt would normally rest, only to close on air. Right, Lionheart was confiscated, as per one of the conditions surrounding his probation. 'After all, you couldn't have the Sorceress knight, no, make that _ex_-Sorceress knight, loose in the corridors with a weapon' he thought sarcastically, uncharitably bitter. 'He might just start slaughtering cadets for fun.'

He snorted in derision at the thought. He'd been a cadet himself, just over a year ago, though sometimes it seemed longer than that. Back then, his only worries had been fighting with Seifer, completing his classes and preparing for the Field Exam, back before he'd ever heard of Sorceress outside of the history texts, back before all the trials and tribulations that had befallen them all since his graduation as a SeeD.

All that shit aside, his body was antsy for another match with Seifer. While monsters in the Training Center took the edge off, nothing could compare to the challenge he found in an opponent that matched him in almost every way, right down to the choice of weapon. Even the new monster in the database, some sort of human-sized lizard that had come down with the Lunar Cry, started to pale after the first dozen of the things he'd slaughtered over the past few days.

Knowing full well that his clearance was restricted due to his probation, Squall slipped into the Library, the one place in Garden where silence was actively enforced. As always, he ignored the sharp look he always got from the SeeD librarian on duty, he'd earned their collective ire long ago, and quite unjustly too. It was Seifer's fault, because after the sixth time Seifer had loudly dragged him from the stacks, and he'd had to admit that he'd raised his voice at the moronic blond in there on more than one occasion, both librarians, former Intelligence-class SeeDs who'd been forced to retire from the field due to injuries, had declared given up determining who was responsible and had simply declared him guilty by reluctant association.

Never mind that he'd never _asked_ Seifer to come after him, in fact, at the time had wished for Seifer to leave him alone. Now, perversely, the blond was fulfilling that very wish, and he found that he didn't like it, not at all. _Shiva,_ he'd liked being a knight better than Seifer ignoring him.

Midway of perusing through a stack in the likely futile search for something interesting that fell into his current level of access, Squall froze slightly in thought. _Why_ had he thought about _that_? The reason he hadn't been brooding more on his time as Ultimecia's knight was mostly because Seifer's mystifying behavior had been occupying most of his thoughts and because he truly didn't _recall_ much of what had happened during those months. For example, the entire time between Galbadia Garden's attack and the clash at the Lunatic Pandora was a complete blank, totally gone. What memories he had left was…muffled somehow, as if the events he recalled had happened to someone else and he'd only later read about what had occurred.

While he _knew_ that in Edea-Ultimecia's name he'd ordered the destruction of Trabia and Balamb Gardens, and that while Balamb Garden had escaped, Trabia Garden had been nearly completely destroyed, it wasn't clear, no matter how he searched his memory for details on what had happened during those days, something he would never tell anyone, not Seifer, not Selphie, not anyone. He was well aware that even if he did remember what had happened, his contributions weren't wanted or needed, given that the other SeeDs had already established the accepted version of events, which, while he apprieciated that it laid all blame on Ultimecia's doorstep, he was very aware that it relied only upon Balamb Garden's experiences and what they had encountered.

He understood it was nothing personal. That was the nature of victory, the victors detailing events according to their own point of view. He accepted that, what disturbed him was the very narrow focus of events; the minimal involvement Ultimecia's ruinous search for Ellone that had been accorded to events as to their cause, that he knew had been the central issue. Ultimecia's number one goal had been to procure Ellone, destroying SeeD had been merely to stop them from interfering with that search, though the events in Garden's version said differently. He _knew_ that the towns of Fisherman's Horizon and Balamb hadn't been the only ones searched for the girl, but that was the impression gained when one read the account of the Sorceress War. Other towns and cities had also been occupied, Dollet for instance had been nearly destroyed when those still living in the city after the Communication Tower raid, had risen up and tried to push the Galbadian army out of the city. And that when the Galbadian Army had finally occupied Fisherman's Horizon after Garden had left, they had found it empty, save for an old man so preoccupied with fishing that he refused to move from the spot. Unfortunately, the commander of that detachment had quickly gotten frustrated with the old man and had ordered him killed on the spot, making him the only fatality in Fisherman's Horizon.

None of that was in the 'official' history of the Sorceress War, something that was more of a Garden propaganda piece than a true historical work. And no one seemed interested in probing deeper into those events to find what had been left out. "Victory's Blindness" he'd once called it in an assignment in an upper-level theory class. His Instructor, he recalled with a scowl, hadn't been interested in pursuing the lines on inquiry he'd been proposing.

But just because he couldn't remember clearly, or didn't remember at all, didn't excuse his responsibility. He hadn't been able to prevent Ultimecia from taking him as Her knight, thus, he bore at least _some_ measure of responsibility for what happened, whatever Seifer might say. And however he might chafe at the restrictions of his probation, he knew that he'd deserved far worse for his actions than what he'd received.

Shaking off the contemplative mood, he rounded the stack, determined to find _something_ to read, even if only obsolete Weapons Monthly issues were available to him, and nearly tripped over Fujin.

For a moment he simply stared at her, fighting the siren call of her magic that still resonated with the part of him that had been a knight, urging him to bow, to kneel, to lower his eyes in submission before Her. He resisted, shoving the urge down far enough to meet her single eye squarely.

A single silver eyebrow rose above her patch in acknowledgement of his audacity. "LEONHART." She said stiffly, but in a quieter tone than normal, most likely given their surroundings.

"Fujin." He returned, wondering why she was here. While she was the most studious of Seifer's posse (which wasn't saying all that much) he was well aware that she wasn't one to spend much time in the library for pleasure, unless researching defensive protocols and bodyguard formations, counted as pleasure.

Abruptly the answer came to him with all the force of one of Ifrit's Hellfires. Seifer. Somehow, for some reason, this was about Seifer. Squall was totally unsure just how he felt about that.

"SEIFER." She said shortly, confirming his suspicions.

"What _about_ him?" he asked, more than a touch defensively. He hadn't done anything to Seifer, had hardly even _seen_ him since Time Compression. But the truth was unlikely to save him if Fujin believed that he'd done something to the blond.

She shook her head. "IN LOVE." She declared matter-of-factly.

"What?" Squall was confused. Why in Shiva's name was Fujin telling him this? Seifer had fancied himself in love before, had dated girls both in and out of Garden with little to no fanfare like Fujin was giving this latest obsession. The last girl Squall knew about, Rinoa, may have been the first to get a SeeD contact out of what had been, for Seifer at least, a minor dalliance, but she was far from Seifer's first girl. It made no difference to Squall that Seifer had found a new sweetheart. Whoever she was, it meant nothing to him.

Fujin proved him wrong. Just as he was turning away, convinced that she had no further information of interest to share, only to freeze in shock as she clarified her previous statement.

"SEIFER. LOVES LEONHART."

"_What?!_" he hissed, voice threatening to break on him in his shock. No. _No_, it _couldn't_ be true. 'But why _else_ would he kiss you?' a nasty little voice in the back of his skull muttered spitefully. It was true that the impossibility of Seifer holding any kind of feelings for him would explain The Kiss quite nicely, but only if you ignored the utter _ludicrousness _of the situation.

Fujin had disappeared after her announcement, thankfully leaving Squall to struggle through the revelation on his own. After several long moments of wrestling with his thoughts, he abruptly turned around and left the Library. It was time and past to talk to Seifer.

/\

Seifer massaged the bridge of his nose as Tillmit flounced out of his office, having yet again failed to convince the petite SeeD that there were no funds in Garden's treasury for _any_ Garden Festival, much less the elaborate bash she was already deep in planning. And while it was well known that he enjoyed a good argument, which he did, there were times, like _now_, when he simply had to be obeyed.

He wasn't being fair, and he knew it. It wasn't Tillmit's fault that her precious Garden Festival was only one of many compound problems that were clamoring for his attention. Right now he had on his desk: 3 demands for breach of contract fees (for missions canceled by the Sorceress War), 17 reports from the spymasters of Garden's various networks scattered across the world, no less than 20 mission reports from SeeD squads in the field, 4 massive sets of class evaluations and assessments, 7 new possible contracts to consider, and one completed contract that was simply waiting for the proper signatures before SeeDs could be sent out on the proposed mission.

He simply couldn't _handle_ all that paperwork. That's why Fujin took charge of the intelligence reports, the mission reports, and gave a first look over to the proposed new contracts, carefully scrutinizing them for any hint of danger to Garden, and by extension, him. Raijin would handle the assessment packets, daunting as they were, given that each one of them contained a full evaluation of every member of a class, as well as a class evaluation that tracked the progress of the class as a whole. The more muscular member of his posse had found a knack in understanding the complicated reports, and was usually even able to give recommendations based on the evaluation paperwork to the Instructors involved. When the combined efforts of his posse cleared nearly 90% of his paperwork for him, he daily blessed Hyne, Ifrit, Shiva, Odin, and any other deities and summons he could think of, for the gift of his posse and for the insight that had prompted him to gather them to him, however inadvertently it had happened at the time.

But even so, he still ended up with paperwork, paperwork that no one else could get near. The breach of contract compensation demands for instance. Per Garden regulations, once a mission contract was signed, Garden's copy was sealed away, requiring the Headmaster's personal passcode to unlock, or the Commander's passcode in this instance, given that the Headmaster was on a _second_ fucking _honeymoon_ with his doting former-Sorceress wife, paid for by the Garden treasury, no less. And he _needed_ access to those contracts to deal with that kind of paperwork, given that he needed to verify the legitimacy of the claim, and if so, figure out just how much it would set back Garden's still recovering treasury.

He hated all of it; the paperwork, the endless hours chained to his desk, the endless, pointless demands on his time like his recent 'conversation with Tillmit… all of it. He _never_ should have allowed Cid to stick him with the commander's job, he should have known that being Commander entailed more than just commanding Garden in wartime, but how the fuck could he have known that Cid was looking for a successor? And the commander's job was a way to see how his chosen schmuck held out under the pressure?

He _refused_ to pass. He was going to deliberately fail the test so that when Cid _did_ come back from his fucking honeymoon (which couldn't have happened at a worse time if you asked him, which no one did) the Old Fart would have no choice but to take his responsibilities back, _permanently_. He did _not_ enjoy the work, despite Raijin's recent accusation. He did _not_. The fact that he got to boss around the whole of Garden unchallenged (ok, _mostly_ unchallenged, given that Fujin could still make him back down) had nothing to do with the fact that he hated the vary _notion_ of deskwork. That sort of thing was more Squall's specialty.

Thinking of the Ice Princess abruptly brought to mind his recent conversation with Tillmit. For some reason, the copper-haired SeeD had dropped his rival's name into their conversation several times, despite that Seifer knew for a fact that Squall had no interest in the Garden Festival and had been staying vigorously away from any and all parts associated with the preparations. So why…

Abruptly he galvanized into action, calling up the automatic record of conversations in the room, a contract tool that Fujin had modified for her own purposes. A long story short, she had bypassed the usual controls to the recording device leaving it on all the time, ignoring his complaints that he had no privacy in his office any more. Right now, he was thankful for Fujin's suspicious nature. As he entered the passcode that gave him access to the recordings with one hand, the other unearthed several blank sheets of paper and a pen from the mounds of paper covering his desk. Quickly finding the record of his conversation with Tillmit, he quickly wrote down her entire side of the conversation, when went back and added his responses on a separate sheet, just in case they mattered. On yet another sheet he recreated the conversation in its entirety, then stopped the playback and tugged out the latest master copy of Garden's cipher list from its permanent place in his desk, along with a fourth blank sheet. Given that the book contained a complete list of all the various codes and ciphers employed at all three Gardens (back when there _were_ three Gardens, his mind couldn't help thinking), if any of Tillmit's remarks had been in code, he'd find it.

Thirty minutes later he was staring at the cleartext, baffled by what had appeared. It had been a moderately complex code, one that had been fairly popular at Trabia Garden before it had disappeared. Seifer was going to have to assign Tillmit more infiltration missions if this was an example of her cryptography skills, if she could code this on the fly and work it into a conversation so seamlessly that he almost hadn't even noticed it, than she'd be invaluable on deep cover missions. Her constant energy would be an asset toward that end as well; given that most people wouldn't expect a giddy, bouncy teenager to be a hardened SeeD and one of the best mages Seifer had ever met. She'd have to work on her focus issues a bit before she was given any solo missions though. Perhaps she could be paired with an older SeeD more experienced in deep cover assignments for her first few undercover missions….

_No!_ He was _not_ planning out Tillmit's SeeD career for her as if he would be in a position to make it happen. That way laid the risk of being trapped forever behind a desk, forever kept far away from the field before he'd ever really had a chance to advance his prowess on missions. Truthfully, he hadn't been on many, just the bungled parade assignment, and the assault on the Lunatic Pandora. Everything else had been required for Garden's ability to survive the Sorceress War, and had not been covered by a contract of any kind.

He had other things to worry about for the moment. Tillmit's message for example, ridiculous as it was. There was _no possible way_ it could be accurate. Squall Leonhart could not, _did_ not, harbor _any_ romantic feelings for him. _None whatsoever_.

Though, could he possibly be mistaken? No, he couldn't be. Even if, by some great stroke of luck Squall didn't harbor bloody vengeance for the Kiss Seifer had stupidly forced upon him back during Time Compression, the odds of Squall Leonhart becoming interested in _anybody_ was pathetically small. Seifer recalled a story of Trepe's on their way back to Garden from D-District Prison, about how the night of the graduation party and her demotion from Instructor, she had all but thrown herself at Squall, only to be told, in the blunt honesty that could only come from Garden's resident Ice Prince, to "Talk to the wall." Seifer has whistled at the rejection implied in the response and made several half-hearted, sneering comments about the state if Squall's balls if he could turn down an offer like that from someone who looked like Trepe. Not that he'd ever been attracted to the tall blonde, Quisty had always been far too motherly for his tastes, not to mention he had a taste for brunettes or possibly the occasional redhead. Blondes had just never caught his attention. Not to mention, he preferred his partners to be slightly shorter than himself so he could look down into their eyes. All the various girls he'd dated had pretty and distinctive eyes, but they were never quite the eyes he sought.

Ah, no. _No_. Hyne's balls, what the _fuck_ was he _thinking_? For some strange reason, thinking about the girls he'd fooled around with in the past had made his mind's eye create an image of Squall's stormy blue eyes, just laced with a touch of silver as the shorter boy's temper began to scrape at the brunet's legendary self-control. He ran through his list of preferences again, comparing them to Squall, hoping against hope that he's somehow fall short. No dice. Squall was shorter than he was. He also had brunet hair that was just touched with red in the right lights and unforgettable eyes. A conclusion as inescapable as it was unacceptable. There was _no way_ it could be true.

He _refused_ to believe it. And he must have mistranslated Tillmit's message somehow, or misread it. That had to be the answer. He was deep in decrypting the coded message for a second time when a perfunctory knock sounded before the door to his office opened, admitting the one person Seifer least wanted to see.

/\

For a long moment, Squall hovered outside the elaborately carved door of the Headmaster's, now the Commander's office, thinking about the information Fujin had given him. Then, steel firming his spine, he knocked once and opened the door, carelessly letting it bang closed behind him.

Seifer's face, white with shock, stared up at him, sea-green eyes wide in the stark face. As he watched, the startled expression firmed into a typical sneer, as Seifer sought refuge in his customary arrogance.

Opening his mouth to speak, Squall closed it again when he caught sight of what Seifer's hands were doing, covertly sliding several papers out of sight behind and under piles of other paperwork that littered the untidy desk. Before Seifer could react, Squall's quick fingers had rescued a sheet and had taken a quick step backward to prevent its rescue.

Reading his prize over, Squall fought hard to keep his jaw from dropping. That the message was in Seifer's handwriting was not in question, but the content was so _ridiculous_ that he found it difficult to credit it. "What _is_ this?" he asked, holding the sheet aloft to indicate what he was talking about and fixing Seifer with a harsh stare. "One of your jokes? You do realize, I don't find this remotely funny."

A muscle in Seifer's jaw worked. "Is what a joke?" he asked in return, trying for innocence. Squall didn't believe a moment of it. He and Seifer had played these games in the past, and at the moment he didn't have the patience for the whole song and dance that was seemingly required to spend any time at all with Garden's Commander.

Squall gave the blond a second, harder look and maintained it. Seifer rarely won one of their staring contests, mostly thanks to the blond's lack of patience and the few times he had actually won had been due only to outside interference, such as an Instructor calling Squall's attention when a staring contest had been started in class. Yes, Seifer was ready to break; his eyebrow always gained that exact twitch when he was about to give in.

Almost on cue, sea-green eyes slid away from his own, followed shortly by Seifer's harsh curse. "Hyne's _balls_, how the fuck do you _do_ that?" his tone was half annoyed and half admiring, also just like all the other times the blond had lost the contest of wills in the past.

"It's a gift." Squall said dryly, not giving an inch. He lifted the paper again. "What is this about?"

There was no way for Seifer to evade answering, Squall could see it in his eyes. Still, Seifer tried. "Just Tillmit's idea of a joke." He said heavily, disgust evident in his voice. Squall didn't understand, he knew what Selphie's handwriting looked like, and he knew Seifer's hand almost better than he knew his own. How could it be one of Selphie's pranks but be in Seifer's handwriting? It didn't make sense. He said as much to Seifer.

The blond in question promptly became flustered. "Tillmit and I were talking. After she left, some of the things she said didn't make sense, so I checked to see if a code was embedded in the conversation." A blond head nodded vaguely toward the paper in Squall's hand. "You've got the cleartext."

For a moment, Squall could only gape at Seifer. There were times where Seifer's stupidity got on his nerves. "Haven't you ever heard of double, or even triple encryption?" 'Idiot' went unsaid, like so many other times he and Seifer had verbally wrestled, that it almost brought a hint of déjà vu to Squall's mind.

Seifer shook his head. "First thing I checked for. None of the indicators were there. It's the final cleartext, though fuck if I can understand it."

Squall could understand Seifer's confusion. There were only a few words on the piece of paper, only a few paragraphs that all added up to one statement that wouldn't, _couldn't _make sense: Squall Leonhart was in love with Seifer Almasy.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand how Selphie had come up with this, this _insanity._ He certainly couldn't recall ever telling her anything could be interpreted in such a way. Unless…

Squall sank into a seat, one hand covering his face. That strange conversation he'd had with Selphie two weeks ago. He'd known she'd learned something from him then, but hadn't known exactly what; Selphie hadn't been forthcoming with any details, saying only that he needed to talk to Seifer.

Satisfied that he'd identified that much of what was confusing him, he lifted his head and looked straight into Seifer's watchful eyes. And waited, knowing how much that annoyed Seifer.

"_Well?"_ Seifer demanded impatiently. Squall's only reaction was to raise one chestnut brow as if to say, "Well what?"

Seifer cursed again. "Well? Is what Tillmit wrote correct?"

Squall saw his chance to regain his momentum in their verbal war. "I believe that this is your handwriting on the paper, not Selphie's. If it were her handwriting, I believe that there would be little hearts and smiley faces all over the page and interspersed with the words." It was true, Selphie's writing overflowed with little drawings, something he'd had the ill fortune to experience while they were planning their strategy for the assault on the broadcast studio, thanks to the complete and total incompetence of the Forest Owls. The night before the attack, Zell had had nightmares about little similes and hearts smothering him in his sleep.

Seifer's scowl put that flippant line of inquiry to a halt. "Don't play games with me Leonhart," he snarled. "What I want to know is if you fell in love with me because of that Kiss, or if you want to put that blue beauty of yours through my skull for it. Just don't leave me hanging in suspense!"

Squall forced himself to scoff. "I wouldn't flatter yourself, Almasy. While a kiss from you might send someone like Rinoa into a swoon, it would take more than that to woo me." A pause, then he continued, voice insulting in its very blankness. "The spar was much more thrilling for me."

A breath later, he knew it was a mistake. Seifer smirked unpleasantly and pounced on his unintentional opening. "Sooo, you admit to enjoying the spar, but not the kiss." The smirk, Squall noticed, was really beginning to irritate him.

"I admit that the spar was a unique experience that would be apprieciated if it happened again, by which I mean that if for some miracle we were able to arrange another double kill duel, but the kiss was…" here Squall faltered slightly, and Seifer seized the opening again.

"Do tell us, Sir Leonhart, ex-sorceress knight, was the Kiss _really_ that bad? Could it by any chance have been, dare I say it, good? Or did your Lady kiss so well that everyone else pales by comparison. Because she's very happily married now, by the way. Or at least, the body that you actually had a chance to kiss."

Squall saw red. How _dare_ Seifer bring up his experiences as a knight. Blinded by fury, he struck out as best he could. "Let's hear _your_ side of the story for a change, Almasy. Speaking of the kiss, what exactly prompted you to kiss me in the first place, hmmm?" he knew he'd hit pay dirt when Seifer colored abruptly, sputtering as he attempted to find an answer to the impossible question Squall had just asked him.

Finally, the sputtering gained some semblance of coherency. "We're not talking about _me_!" Seifer protested, cheeks still hot. "It was the heat of the moment, that sort of thing…" he trailed off in the face of Squall's disbelieving stare.

"So, do you plan to kiss me every time we spar from now on? Is that why you've been hiding from me?." He demanded angrily.

Seifer regained control of himself. "Scared, Leonhart? Afraid for your virtue if we fight again?" he asked in a mock casual voice.

"Name the time and place!" Squall shot to his feet, incensed by Seifer's suggestion.

Seifer didn't hesitate as he followed Squall up with his deceptively lazy grace. The blond smirked again, the same lazy smirk that made always Squall want to physically rip it off his face with his bare hands, his sea-green eyes as cold and hard as gemstones. "Tomorrow, 1700 hours. The clearing three meters due west of the Secret Area, given that you still can't leave the grounds without permission yet." The syllables dropped into the atmosphere with insulting precision.

The false consideration in the choice of location nearly made Squall belt Seifer, but he restrained himself to a sharp nod, not trusting himself with speech. Leaving the office with sharp, almost insulting courtesy, he nearly ran over an older man in a military uniform escorted by a SeeD Squall didn't recognize, far to distracted by his rage to see the light of recognition lit the older man's face, followed closely by a mask of hatred. Forget _tomorrow_, he needed to get to the Training Center _now_, to work off some of this rage before, lacking a weapon to hand, he tried to commit murder with his bare hands.

//\\

At the appointed time Seifer made his way down to the Training Center, Hyperion in hand and ready to kick Squall's ass flatter than a pancake. And while Squally-boy preferred to hide his emotions, Seifer knew that the brunet was just as eager to kick ass as he was, and would make him work _hard _for the takedown. Which just made it all the better as far as Seifer was concerned. While Trepe and the other Instructors that had had the privilege of attempting to teach him would say he was lazy when he thought he could get away with it, he would _happily_ have proved him wrong in this instance. Easy victories were a waste of time, as far as he was concerned, it was only when a fight could go either way, with live steel, where death rewarded a single moment of inattention, _those_ were the fights he, and any other fighter worth his salt, _lived_ for, and Squall Leonhart was the only warrior that Seifer reluctantly called his equal and _knew_, deep in his bones that the Ice Prince was the only one who could offer him that kind of match.

He arrived at the arraigned section of the vast complex slightly ahead of schedule, and took a seat on a handy rock, taking out a polishing cloth in order to buff his gunblade as a way to pass the time. Squall wouldn't be long; in fact, he was half surprised that the ex-knight wasn't already there, given the way the brunet seemed to almost live in the Training Center these days.

Hyperion was so shiny that it was almost glowing before Seifer realized that something was wrong. A quick glance at his watch told him that the compulsively on-time Squall Leonhart was a full 45 minutes _late_. Something _had_ to be wrong.

The next hour passed in a blur as he turned Garden upside-down in a full-scale, futile search for one absent Ice Prince. The Quad, the Dorms, the Library, the Lobby, even the Infirmary were checked, and all inhabitances ruthlessly interrogated as to whither or not they had seen Squall Leonhart. No one had, no one could even remember if they'd seen him at all during the day. Eventually a discarded gunblade holster was found, two meters from the entrance to the Quad, half hidden behind some shrubbery.

Sea-green eyes narrowed at the sight. Proof positive that Squall had been abducted, Seifer knew very well that the brunet had never left his dorm room without his blade, or in recent days his holster, since they'd first been trusted to carry their own blades. Wooden ones then, to be truthful, but they'd both graduated to live steel soon enough.

There was _no way_ Squall would remove his holster for any reason outside of sleeping in his quarters at Garden, other than to repair or replace it, just as there was no way _any_ SeeD or Cadet would leave behind such a vital piece of equipment, given that the weapons harness, no matter what form it might take for a SeeDs individual weapon, was second only to the weapon itself in the care, respect, and maintenance accorded it. Every cadet had that _drilled _into their heads as soon as they arrived in Garden, and those who refused to learn, were kicked out in disgrace. No exceptions were tolerated. A SeeD who didn't care for his weapon, and his harness or holster, was a dead one, one who would likely take other members of his or her squad down with them when something critical broke down.

Hah. Look at this. Already narrowed eyes locked on one strap in particular, near were it would have fastened around the wearer's thigh; the stitching had been slightly torn, not allot, but enough to tell him that it had been violently ripped from its normal place. It was further evidence that Squall hadn't removed it willingly, as if he needed it.

Holster in hand, he stood, facing away from Garden, fury suddenly boiling in his veins. Just because it had been months since Time Compression and Ultimecia's downfall didn't mean he'd forgotten how he'd felt during the long months of the war, the constant burning rage he'd felt because his rival was in the hands of the enemy. He felt it again now, almost as if it had never left, the chilling rage that sharpened his thoughts and reflexes, that had allowed him to drive the Last Sorceress into a corner, and then cut her down where she stood, flooding through him again. It didn't matter that he didn't know who the enemy was, it didn't matter that he didn't know who had taken Squall this time. Whoever they were, wherever they were hiding, he would hunt them down and take Squall back to Garden. Again.

//\\

I'm evil, aren't I? Getting all of your hopes up for a reconciliation between Seifer and Squall, then dashing your hopes so cruely. But then, those two are going to fight against the possibility that they need each other for as long as they possibly can. But I'm doing my best to make them hurry it up as much as possible. Be patient, if you can that is…..:evil laugh:

Selphie is quite the yaoi fangirl, isn't she? And poor Seifer's miserable, trapped behind a desk like he is. At least he's better acquainted with his feelings than Squall is, mostly thanks to Fujin's help in pointing them out for him. All I can say is, Squall had better wise up soon, for both their sakes.

Sorry about the delay, but though I anticipated that I'd have more time to write during the summer, the reverse is actually true and I actually have _less_, slavedriving parents. Not to mention that they're pushing me to start writing some origional fiction, not fanfiction, and while I managed to hold off mom for this chapter, I might not be able to do so for the next one. So again, be patient, and I'll try to get this out as soon as possible.

Please please, _please_ don't not review theis chapter!! I know I took too long on this, I know I've been lazy, I know all that and I'm begging you not to abandon hope!!! I swear to finish all my stories, so please hold on and be patient so I can get these next few chapters out before the summer is over. Reviews make me want to work harder, so the more you review, the more quickly I get the next chapter out, so it's really in your best interest.


	13. Chapter 13

Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD

Chapter 13

//\\

Squall clawed his way back to consciousness, fighting back a strange heavy feeling that seemed to permeate throughout his entire body, preventing him from achieving full alertness as quickly as he was accustomed to. When the reason behind his woozy brain finally penetrated his foggy mind, he closed still bleary eyes in shame.

A Sleep spell, a _fucking_ Sleep spell. Not for the first time, Squall cursed the fact that he was no longer Junctioned to Shiva, given that one of the benefits for Junctioning the Ice GF, aside from the hearing boost, was a limited immunity to status affect spells, including Sleep. Without the GF Junctioned as he was, he had been acutely vulnerable to anyone casting such a spell on him from behind his back, leaving him with no protection against magical attacks. He supposed blearily that it had been only the sheer force of Seifer's personality and the threat of the blond's anger that had kept any cadet in Garden with a grudge against him off his back.

As his mind began to clear, he realized that the level of disorientation he was feeling was far in excess of what could be expected from a normal Sleep. Whoever had hit him with the enchantment had obviously gone overboard, hitting him with far more spells than they had needed to, either in ignorance or in order to keep him asleep. He supposed that it was lucky that whoever it was had used Sleep to take him and keep him down. Out of all the status affect spells in a SeeD's arsenal; Sleep had the mildest side effects for overexposure.

Eventually he realized he was being restrained, and quite expertly to boot. Cautious maneuvering told him that not only was each limb expertly bound, but that he didn't have so much as an inch of give in the bonds and the way he was bound prevented him from gaining the leverage he needed to possibly break them. That told him that while whoever had captured him might not have been a mage; they were _very_ experienced in holding on to prisoners.

Prisoners. Why did that word stick in his head? With rapidly clearing eyes, he glanced around his surroundings, tying to place the faint sense of familiarity. A basically standard nondescript metal cell with little or no identifying marks, but was still somehow jogging his memory. He'd been in a cell like this before, even though he couldn't seem to get his memory to respond.

D-District. That was where he was. The name of Galbadia's infamous maximum-security prison abruptly popped into his mind accompanied by a flood of memories that he would have preferred to forget. Memories of Seifer screaming as he'd tortured the blond for information he didn't have, memories of roundups he'd ordered in Edea's name, of the civilians he'd ordered to be tortured until they gave up the names and locations of those who'd resented and resisted the path his Lady had taken to power in Galbadia. Those who had been too close to the late President Deling, those who had ties to the Gardens, those who feared magic and regarded sorceresses as the ultimate evil, it hadn't mattered. All who had dared to resist Her rule, both directly and indirectly, had been ruthlessly hunted down on his order. Barely restraining the urge to vomit at the remembered sounds of the ceaseless screams from all the unfortunates imprisoned here during the five months he had ruled Galbadia in his Lady's name, he frantically cast about in his mind, trying to think of something, _anything_ to keep from remembering the horrors he'd ordered to take place here.

The restraints, keeping him up against one wall were the exact same design as those he had used against Seifer, deliberately using electricity for the torture because of the blond's slight phobia toward it. That had been the only interrogation he'd handled personally, unaccountably reluctant to allow Seifer to be tortured by anyone else. He'd had no problem handing off all other interrogation/torture sessions to those Galbadia kept on staff at D-District. And if they hadn't escaped before he could do so, he would have handled the interrogations of the other SeeDs as well. There had been no real reason for that decision, the same way he'd had no real reason to keep all the other captured SeeDs in a single cell. Now that he thought about it, he questioned that decision. While it was true that the prison had been full, there had still been enough room to keep them separate, but he hadn't. It had been contradictory to all that Garden had taught him about securing prisoners, but done it he had. Why?

He was abruptly ripped from his thoughts when someone entered his cell followed by a flunky in a typical Galbadian military uniform. Dismissing the flunky as unimportant, Squall peered at the first new arrival, unsure if or where he'd seen his face before. Then it came to him. He was out of uniform now, but that was undoubtedly the same man he'd rudely brushed past on his way out of Seifer's office… how long ago had that been? While he knew how long a normal Sleep spell lasted before dissipating on its own, he'd covered that in advanced magic his last year as a cadet (more than long enough to get you killed in a fight, as he recalled his Instructor saying wryly), he had no way of knowing just how many spells he'd been under the influence of and just how far apart they'd been administered.

He stared straight ahead without fear as the older man moved into his personal space, already gathering his strength and preparing his mind for torture. He'd faced it in training several times, and the memory of Seifer's defiance precluded any slight possibility of giving in he may have had. Truthfully, he didn't know what they expected to get from him. Garden was certain to have changed its security codes during the War, and he hadn't been allowed access to the new ones. Almost everything classified about Garden that he knew was more than likely out of date, and thus of no use to anyone.

But, what if this _wasn't_ about Garden? What if this was about Edea/Ultimecia, and things he might have known as Her knight? Or what if this wasn't about information at all; just an attempt to seek revenge on the Sorceress knight who had ruled Galbadia with an iron hand in his Lady's name.

He shuddered internally at the last thought, not daring to show the slightest outward sign of weakness. It made no difference, really but it made him feel better. As the old man began talking, he forced himself to at least appear to pay attention, not the easiest thing in the world given that he was still feeling the last effects of the Sleep spells. "Finally awake, are you? No matter. My name is General Vincent Caraway, in Command of all Galbadian Armed forces. What's left of them anyway." The last was added as if on the side, given that Squall's Garden-trained ear nearly failed to pick them up.

Squall didn't respond. What did he have to say? Disregarding his silence, the general continued. "Not to mention, I'm the closest person Galbadia has right now to a leader, given that you and the Sorceress killed the president and everyone able to take over from him. And while Deling was a weak-willed idiot, he could be worked around. Thanks to you, and your bitch of a Sorceress, almost everyone who could have held Galbadia together as a nation is dead or maimed in such a way that they can no longer hold any office."

Squall allowed him to talk, allowing the words to flow over him like water, similar to the way he'd tuned out some of Seifer's more outrageous monologues in the past. General Caraway. The name was familiar. How? Oh, yes. The investigative reports for the botched assassination attempt, of course. The then-retired General Caraway's townhouse, built like a fortress thanks to his legendary paranoia, had been one of the top location suspects for the base the SeeDs had used to plan their assault on the parade, not to mention the plan itself had been a thing of beauty that had nearly succeeded, clearly the work of a master strategist, which the general was known to be. But, by the time the Galbadian Army had managed to gain access to the general's house, both he and his daughter had escaped, fleeing the city to an undisclosed location by means of some well-disguised escape tunnels that had led out of the city. He'd meant to hunt him down, but the force of his Lady's displeasure, targeted at: his failure to adequately protect the missile base from attack, the SeeDs unprecedented escape from D-District, and Balamb Garden's narrow escape from destruction, had forced him to concentrate his attentions to other matters.

A fist crashed across his face, pulling him abruptly from his musings. Squall blinked, suddenly re-focusing on the General's furious face. "Since you're so _clearly_ uninterested in what I have to say, maybe _this_ will get your attention." A wave of the general's hand signaled the flunky Squall had seen earlier and dismissed as unimportant. Abruptly the flunky's position relative to the general's became obvious to Squall, he'd given orders to just such a flunky when he'd tortured Seifer. The cell wasn't simply _like_ the one where he'd tortured Seifer, it _was_ the exact same cell, complete with the electrical torture equipment he'd used on his rival.

Suddenly, unaccountably panicked, Squall's eyes flew wide in futile protest, unable to speak before the first torrent of electricity crashed through his body, nearly inducing him to cry aloud in pain before he swallowed the sound into a pained grunt. Seifer hadn't cried out, at least, not at first. He would do the same if it killed him. Which it just might, because he wasn't Junctioned.

Junctioned. In between one agonizing bolt of electricity and another, the word came to him. Yet _another_ thing he'd failed at doing while Ultimecia's knight. He hadn't Drawn Seifer's GF's away from him before beginning the torture. Somehow, impossibly, Seifer had been _right_. Like an infiltration Instructor had repeatedly cautioned him, "Life was in the details." The Instructor had been warning his class that the smallest detail could mean the death of the cover they might be using. One speck of the real identity that slipped past a SeeD's scrutiny could be the key on which deadly suspicions were based. Also, one detail missing from the cover identity could derail the entire illusion.

He may have believed he was Ultimecia's knight, believed it with all his heart, but several key details had revealed his true loyalties. He had placed all the captured SeeDs in one cell, and one that they could break out from at that. He had neglected to Draw out Seifer's GF's, allowing him to endure the torture with less damage than might otherwise have occurred and to heal from the torture much swifter than he would have otherwise. Ultimecia might have taken him as Her knight, but since he'd never surrendered his will willingly, she had found herself unable to control him completely without taking over his body completely. It was like deep cover at its greatest, and at it's worst, because, for him at least, his 'cover' had been his reality.

His body jerked in his bonds as another wave of electricity poured through him. Distancing his mind from the pain, he focused on Seifer's words, both during Time Compression, and, more recently, in his office. During Time Compression, Seifer had told him that he'd never left Squall alone, not at the orphanage, not at Garden, and not even during the War. Seifer had still believed in him, had offered him a place back in Garden after everything he'd done as Ultimecia's knight. True, the infernal probation had been a condition of his return, but it had been a small price to pay given that he'd had no where else to go. And truthfully, if Seifer had allowed him back without any strings attached after what he'd done, he wouldn't have accepted, no matter what Seifer's condition for their spar might have been. Taking charity was something he would never, _ever_ do.

It was getting harder and harder to stay mostly silent. Shiva, how had Seifer done it? And how long had this torture been going on? As Squall's eyes fluttered closed from the pain, he tried to guess how long it had been since the agonizing pulses began, and failed. It felt like hours, but it may have been only minutes. His world had shrunk to the brief space of time between each pulse, which was just as well; it wasn't as if the general was asking him any questions. Though a part of Squall wished he was, that way offered the possibility of relief, of respite from the relentless pain. No, _no_ he _wasn't_ going to break. He _wouldn't_. How could he face Seifer if he broke?

Seifer. For a long moment Squall concentrated on the image of his rival, forcing his memory to exactingly recreate each detail of the blond's face, concentrating on remembering the exact shade of Seifer's eyes or the shape of his nose, that arrogant smirk, to try and block out the constant pain from the electricity. It worked, somewhat, at least a little bit. Then he lost it all in one agonizing burst of electricity. Shaking and moaning aloud in his brief moment of respite between bursts, he wondered just why he'd pictured the blond to help him escape the agony. Then the next burst hit, and once he could think again, after he stopped screaming from the pain of it, wondered why he had pictured his rival to try and escape the pain. Could Selphie have been right? he wondered vaguely after the next pulse. Being in love with Seifer, was that really so bad? It could hardly be worse than his current predicament. Then he couldn't remember just why he cared about that anymore. It had worked after all, at least for a little while.

The constant pulses of high electric current were almost becoming too much. Abruptly Darkness beckoned and Squall knew no more.

//\\

It was two days after Squall's disappearance and Seifer's nerves were on their last edge. It had been two long days of worrying, and bullying uncooperative Intelligence networks, shaking out every scrap of news that might relate to his rival's disappearance until one minor network assigned to Deling City disgorged the interesting fact that General Caraway, had a 'special prisoner' consigned to D-District prison recently and was seeing to him or her personally. Given the fact that the general had just signed a contract with Seifer for a couple of squads to help stabilize his regime (a contract Seifer had voided as soon as he'd learned about Caraway's likely involvement in his rival's abduction), Seifer would have expected Caraway to head back to Deling City, given that it was the seat of Galbadian government, not closet himself away in D-District, after leaving word that he was not to be disturbed.

Add that to the fact that Caraway had been in Garden the night of Squall's abduction…well Seifer wasn't so dumb that he needed someone else to connect the dots for him. Though he still didn't understand Fujin's snorted laugh when he'd told her that.

But back to the present. He'd gathered Balamb Garden's full available complement of SeeDs together, no matter what their specialty happened too be, for a meeting geared toward pooling their Intelligence and gathering together a plan to take the former-knight back, operating under the likely assumption that Caraway's 'special prisoner was, in fact, Squall. It had been going well too, until it had been interrupted.

"What's the big deal?" the almost-inaudible mutter came from ear the back of the large briefing room, reaching Seifer's ears with ease despite the distance. Laser-like sea-green eyes immediately latched on to the speaker, an Intelligence-class SeeD that Seifer vaguely remembered meeting during his second Field Exam and had disliked at once, even more than his general mistrust of all of Garden's Intelligence agents. He'd been furious when she'd passed the exam, leaving him in the dust of failure. Now the joke was on her because she was still a midlevel Intelligence agent, of whom Garden had plenty, while he was the Commander, and the one to whom all of Balamb Garden, all of SeeD for that matter until Galbadia Garden got back up on its feet, reported to and took their orders from. And this low-level flunky, an Intelligence flunky at that, _dared_ to think she could question his orders?

"Could you care to explain you comment, Ms. Richardson?" he purred dangerously in a deliberate tone, cutting effortlessly through the buzz of chatter that the stray mutter had called forth.

Seifer had to give her credit. She stood her ground even when faced with his wrath. But then it could be simple stupidity, given that he still looked and even sounded amiable enough. Instead of realizing her potentially hazardous situation and retracting her statement that had brought her to Seifer's attention, she expounded on it.

"I simply would like to know why we're planning to put Garden in danger with such a large-scale rescue operation merely for a Sorceress Knight." Raijin shifted threateningly at the slur, but Seifer put up a hand, calling him to stillness.

"I mean," she continued, warming to her topic when he didn't stop her, "he ordered the destruction of Trabia Garden, attacked Balamb Garden while using Galbadia Garden as a base after he took it over for his own use, stole the Lunatic Pandora facility and used it to call down the Lunar Cry, which SeeD squads are _still_ cleaning up the monsters from even though its been nearly _3 months_ since the event-"

"Two months, three weeks and five days precisely." Seifer's voice interrupted, still in its dangerously pleasant purr. "And yes, Ms Richardson, I am aware of the events that took place during the Sorceress War. I participated in most of them."

He was smiling as he spoke, smiling in such a way that the unfortunate Ms Richardson suddenly began to realize just how far she'd erred, and that the absolute worst that could happen to her for challenging her Commander on this, went _far_ beyond being replaced on the assignment, _far_ worse than losing her job or being expelled from Garden. Seifer didn't _like_ to be challenged at the best of times and now he was heading into a mood where he could slaughter her where she stood and smile about it, and she was the only one who hadn't realized it in time.

"Now, _I_ have a question for you, Ms Richardson," his falsely pleasant tone and smile making the words lash like a whip. "Would you please recite for us Garden policy regarding SeeDs imprisoned for events that took place under contract?"

She shuddered at the ugly promise in the smile, but gave the information he asked for without stuttering. "If, either during or after the conclusion of a contract a party feels that vengeance is called for on either Garden itself or on the part of a particular individual SeeD, Garden is well within its rights as a distinct entity to either defend itself or take the wrongly-imprisoned SeeD back using whatever resources and methods available to itself. But-but you can't _possibly_-"

Once again Seifer cut her off. "Squall Leonhart _is_ a SeeD, given that he passed the latest Field Exam just prior to the Sorceress War, something I myself didn't do. According to former-Sorceress Edea, who helped write Garden's charter, becoming a Sorceress knight is roughly equivalent with being a SeeD under contract. And as to _that_, I _watched_ as he was taken _against his will_ to be Sorceress Ultimecia's knight. During the War, my actions were always aimed toward two goals: the preservation of Garden, and rescuing Squall Leonhart from the hands of Sorceress Ultimecia."

He allowed himself to meet the gazes of the other SeeDs in the room, impressing his words on them all in turn, before turning back to his victim. His smile now showed all the whites of his teeth and she was only barely holding her composure together at the sight. He grinned broader at he sight.

"_Finally_," he continued, driving the nail home, "we not only have a Sorceress knight in the room with us, we have a Sorceress as well." An expansive wave of his hand indicated Fujin and Raijin, both of them standing just as formally correct as any other SeeDs in the room. "Fujin was able to accept Sorceress Edea's powers following assault by Galbadia Garden where Edea was purged of Sorceress Ultimecia's influence. Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to beat Ultimecia. After Time Compression, she took Raijin as her knight in order to stabilize her powers. Ultimecia's influence was not purged at the same time for Squall as Former-Sorceress Edea and he remained under that influence until only moments before Time Compression, when Ultimecia decided that She had no more use for him. What is Garden's policy regarding mind-control?" he shot abruptly at the unfortunate Ms Richardson.

"Sir?" her voice quavered, just the smallest bit. Outwardly, Seifer didn't seem to notice it, but inwardly he exulted. She was nearly there, almost at the point where she would be thoroughly broken, spirit crushed, never to fully recover. Contrary to what some would say, he didn't casually break people, only allowing himself the pleasure when he was beyond pissed already, and something had pushed him over the brink. The entire room was deadly silent, faces either a mix of approval and disgust, or an enticing blend of horror and fear. He ignored them, putting all his focus into destroying his target.

"I asked you a question." his voice was deliberately mild, he hadn't raised his voice once the entire time, and no one listening to him dared to think that the seeming kindness was anything but another level added to the condemnation. His very reasonableness was a weapon, and the whole room knew it.

"…T-there are several sections in Garden charter that deal with mind control. C-could you be a bit more specific?"

Seifer's grin was feral. "Tell us the section that deals with SeeDs that are subjected to it. The section that details the aftermath of mind control, and the consequences of being subjected to it."

She shuddered again, but obeyed. "For those SeeDs subjected to mind control, no blame is to be attached to their actions. Once they have served a period of probation to demonstrate that they are free from outside influence, they can return to Garden's service without penalty." Her voice shook slightly as she spoke, but she still relayed the information clearly, likely falling back on her training to memorize and spit back out facts no matter what her emotional state might be.

"Precisely." Seifer spoke for the benefit of the entire room. "Squall Leonhart has served his probation without a single word of complaint since Time Compression ended. Under conditions that would make _any_ of you bristle, not _one_ word of complaint at his situation has reached my ears. And all of you know that eventually I hear everything that goes on in this Garden."

He waited for the nods all around. During his time as head of the Disciplinary Committee, he had cultivated a reputation for being all knowing, which, truth be told, had been helped in a large part by the bugs Fujin had scattered all over Garden. Of course some at least would be regularly found and squashed, but enough of them always remained intact that he could gain at least a general sense of what was being talked about in any given location at any given time. And while the fight with Galbadia Garden and the ensuing repairs had resulted in the majority of them being destroyed, well, by that time he'd no longer cared about the petty gossip in the cafeteria was and his reputation was firmly in place.

Now he laid it on thick, appealing to their egos. "How many of you, after passing the exam and getting real field experience feel about being suddenly restricted to a first-year cadet's level of access in the archives, or being suddenly forbidden to wear your weapon inside Garden, something we all take for granted once we begin training. How many of you could walk around the corridors unarmed, after all the conditioning we all go through to not let our weapons out of our sight, and being forced to leave them in a Training Center locker. How many of you could do that without complaint?" he paused, theatrically, then said, "Come on, people, I want a show of hands of who think they could undergo this without so much as a peep."

No one raised their hands, as Seifer had known would happen. Frankly, he'd been bracing himself for a legendary Leonhart meltdown for the first few weeks they'd been back, sure that Squall would throw a fit about the restrictions the former knight had been subjected to, restrictions that Seifer had had no hand in devising. He'd tried to talk Fujin into going easier on his rival, but had found himself overruled. And, for some reason, the anticipated explosion had somehow failed to materialize. Squall had tamely submitted himself to the probation, and had never once tried to test his new, narrow boundaries.

"And one more thing," he added to cap things off. "Garden is, at least for most of us, our home, the only sanctuary we have in the world. How many of you have family outside of Garden?" he asked, and only one or two hands actually rose, both of whom Seifer had known about already. "Not that many of you. It's the same for Leonhart. His mother is dead, his father and sister both abandoned him at different times, and we're the only real family he's got. He's got nowhere else to go outside our walls. He's one of us. Are we going to abandon him?"

The answer was everything Seifer could have wished and more. He grinned ruthlessly, seeing his expression reflected on every face. "Then let's get him back!"

//\\

No memories haunted him on his return to D-District prison, no lingering horror of his time there resounded at him through the walls. Nothing stopped or slowed him down; righteous determination spurred him onward, resolute in his desire to free Squall Leonhart from this place. Once his rival was secured, and somewhere safe, Garden demolition teams would blow the entire place sky-high as a warning that _no one_ fucked with those Seifer Almasy had claimed. Once, he had destroyed the Sorceress Memorial in Esthar for daring to abduct and imprison Fujin; now D-District Prison would serve the same lesson for those who had dared to take his rival and…

And _what_? He snapped to himself, testy at his own thoughts. Then he put it out of his mind, unwilling to spare the energy to decrypt the puzzle his own subconscious seemed to delight in teasing him with. Whatever it was, whatever revelation awaited him, however obvious it might be when it revealed itself, it could wait. He had other things to worry about now.

They had hit D-District like an avalanche, overwhelming the guard before they could sound a warning in the prison below, or determine that the signal that had ordered them to lower the prison's entrance to ground level had been faked. It seemed like only the work of a moment before they were hacking into the central computer, trying to find the location of their target.

Several minutes were wasted before Seifer determined that they were wasting their time; that whoever had taken Squall hadn't given then the courtesy of entering him into the computer system so he could be easily located.

A sneer lit Seifer's mouth, so, they were going to make this hard for him. If they had made it easy for him, he would have considered going easy on them when he destroyed the prison, would have considered allowing them to evacuate before he blew the place sky-high. Now, that option was closed. He would either slaughter them all personally before the charges were set, or make sure that they were still inside when the charges went boom. He'd also be sure to tell Selphie to be as creative as her heart desired when the time came to make the prison go 'boom.' He was sure she'd brought some of her handmade explosives with her and was just itching for the chance to use them.

He gestured for the retrieval teams to head out, one to a tower, himself at the head of one of them. Floor by floor they searched, checking every cell they found. Occasionally they ran into roaming guards, guards that were slaughtered almost before they realized what they were up against. Two or three times, Seifer gestured for the rest of his team to step back, he wanted to face the guards himself, wanted to went the rage that was boiling up within him on the targets that had just happened to find themselves in Hyperion's way, not caring about the way the rest of his team looked at him after he'd reduced those guards to nightmarish lumps of flesh.

Finally they reached the Squall's cell, and by that point, all of Seifer's last shreds of patience had been long since shredded past recognition by anxiety and disappointment. Several of the less experienced members of the team looked confused as Seifer headed straight to the door as if drawn by a homing beacon, completely dismissing the other cells on that level as unimportant. They couldn't hear it, couldn't recognize the barely audible sounds just inching their way past the door to the cell.

But Seifer had Shiva Junctioned, having picked up the Ice GF on a whim as he was leaving Garden. The hearing boost thus gained was more than enough to clearly identify the faint sounds that leaked out of the heavy door guarding the portal to the interrogation chamber. Screams. _Squall's_ screams, screams that Seifer recognized as his own, unvoiced ones from his own time in that cell. Someone was inflicting on Squall the same torment the brunet had visited upon him. That someone was going to die. _Soon_.

The door was locked. Too angry to care, Seifer used Hyperion's perfect edge to cut the door open, kicking the useless metal panel that had been a functional door mere minutes ago, down with a clang. He took a moment to examine the scene in front of him, then took action.

Two steps and one swing from Hyperion later and the flunky at the electrical station was abruptly without his head, his blood staining the rusted metal walls a new shade of red. Caraway had a few seconds warning before Seifer was on him, but it had been at least 10 years since the general had faced combat. Too long. His reflexes were still fast enough to allow him to turn around and face Seifer, but far too slow for him to do anything to defend himself. Seifer took his time with him, meaning that it took several minutes for Caraway to die and not seconds the way it had taken Seifer to dispatch the flunky.

While he was amusing himself with mangling the corpses of Squall's captors in a variety of fatal ways, one member of the team destroyed the electrical controls, making triply sure that they couldn't activate anything on accident, while the other two worked to get the groaning and barely alive former knight down from his bonds, casting Cura and other restorative spells as they did so. Finished with his fun, his white trench-coat looking more like a butcher's apron than anything else, Seifer vibrated with a helpless fury at his rival's condition. There was nothing he could do, beyond passing the two impromptu medics his personal stash of Phoenix Downs and potions to help Squall. _Nothing_.

He almost didn't notice the race up to the control room with their helpless burden. They were almost out before Seifer recalled that he still had Shiva. Hoping it would work, he passed the Ice GF to the unconscious brunet, forcibly Junctioning her to Squall, all the while hoping against hope that Shiva would allow Squall to hold on long enough for them to get Squall to Dr. Kadowaki and her team, so that he could be transported safely back to Garden and the Infirmary to recover.

They burst out of the prison proper and out of the control room to the base camp that had been set up far enough away from the prison to be out of sight and outside the projected blast radius while still being close enough so that emergency medical care could be administered before it was too late if Squall had been found in a bad way like he had.

Seifer snuck several peaks at the brunet as they ran, he was so fucking still… not that the Ice Prince hadn't made an art form out of stillness, but there was something _off_ about this stillness. Maybe it was the way he was so limp, bouncing a little at the pace they were moving at, when he should have been running right along side them. Or maybe it was Squall's face, slack in unconsciousness when it should have been tight with control. He didn't know what it was, not exactly, but he did know one thing: he didn't like it one bit.

Seifer didn't even hear himself give the order to the demolition team, led by Tillmit, to get going, or issue the recall order for the other two search teams to get the hell back to camp before the prison blew. He barely even noticed when the prison exploded, large pieces of the structure repelled from the temporary camp by the Barrier spells cast around the feverishly working medics. He couldn't look away, couldn't take his eyes from Squall's far too still face. He absently passed all his spells to a medic asking for any the restorative spells to be had, hardly aware that he was doing so, and certainly not even taking the time to sort through them enough so that he only passed on the spells that could help his rival.

He didn't _care_ what he had to do, he swore to himself, watching the medics work, but he _would _make sure that Squall Leonhart would be safe. If he had to force Ellone and Fujin to induce another Time Compression and get Ultimecia's help to do so, he would. Whatever it took. No matter what the cost.

//\\

I know, I nearly killed off Squall… :ducks a hail of stones and rotten vegetables: I know! I know!! It was very bad of me to do that.

But, but, but!! I had a reason for doing that. It'll all be made clear in the next chapter or so, but something had to happen to jerk the boys out of their denial. If they had been left alone, they might have killed each other before they admitted anything to each other, or even themselves.

Hope you don't mind that this chapter's a little short, for some reason it wanted to be this way. Please don't hold its short length against me when you review?

You _are_ going to review, aren't you? _Aren't_ you?


	14. Chapter 14

Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD

Chapter 14

//\\

Everything _hurt_. Every muscle and joint ached, every inch of skin smarted as Squall again dragged himself slowly back to consciousness. For a long moment he simply lay there, eyes closed, cataloguing his body and how fast it could react when faced with a threat.

The answer was depressing. Given the way everything in his body ached, he'd be able to move, but slowly, certainly not fast enough to dodge a blow, or raise Lionheart in his defense. And given that the majority of his fighting style was based around speed, he'd be lucky to even _graze_ an opponent before being killed himself.

Finally opening his eyes, blinking in the unexpected bright light, he gazed dumbly around the familiar confines of the Infirmary. When had he returned to Garden? The last thing he remembered, was… was being tortured by General Caraway in D-District prison.

Footsteps sounded abruptly in the corridor outside. Hurriedly he closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to resume the steady pattern of sleep, so as to give no hint of his wakefulness. This may have _looked_ like the Infirmary at Garden, but one could never be too careful. He wouldn't have put it past the Galbadian General to devise mental torments to go alongside the physical ones. Shiva, Ultimecia's favorite punishments when he'd displeased Her had been purely mental, and those had been the ones he'd been most eager to avoid.

The door swished open, admitting…two people he judged, one taller than the other. He could hear the differing strides, the quicker steps as one attempted to keep up with the other, and failing miserably. The taller set of steps came to stand directly by his bed and stopped dead, before whirling around (he could hear the rustle of fabric) to face the other figure.

"I thought you said he'd be awake by now!" the taller figure (Seifer?) hissed quietly, almost as if,, Squall thought wonderingly, that the blond was trying to avoid waking him, though Seifer showing that much consideration was almost too much to credit.

"What I _said_," the other voice, older than the first, and feminine (Dr. Kadowaki?) said firmly, "was that the spells and potions keeping him asleep should have faded by now. If he's still not awake, then it's likely because he's replenishing his reserves of strength that were depleted by the torture. And you should let him _rest_."

"It wasn't like this for me." The first voice protested, not letting up in the least.

"You were tortured for a significantly shorter period of time than he was, not to mention you were Junctioned as well for it. _And_ you were operating under a rapidly shortening time limit trying to save Garden, and were thus bolstered by adrenaline. And don't think that you didn't crash after it was clear that Garden was safe. Give him time."

"I gave him Shiva-"

"For which I am very grateful, as the GF's healing abilities has made it considerably easier for me to work on him without the threat of him dieing in the middle of treatment. But Shiva wasn't with him throughout the torture, healing most of the damage as it occurred, unlike Ifrit was with you." Her voice softened. "I know you're worried. And I _will_ inform you of the slightest change."

"See that you do." Seifer's footsteps sounded again, moving toward the Infirmary's door, only to stop when Dr. Kadowaki's voice spoke up again.

"I'm having a hard time understanding just why you're being so protective of him Seifer. After all, you were the one responsible for putting him in my care the majority of times he ended up there before the War."

"You didn't know?" Squall could hear the rare note of honesty in Seifer's voice, something that Squall heard only rarely. "It's because he doesn't have anyone else. Laguna doesn't have the time, he's got his hands full with rebuilding Esthar and when he's not doing that, he's still getting used to the idea that he has a son, much less that his son is the same one who's laid waste to his country. Not to mention that once he does get used to it, he's so different from Squall, personality-wise, that anything he does to include Squall and show him that he cares will be far too much for our fair Ice Prince and only piss him off. Ellone is helping with the rebuilding, she's too scared of anything remotely to do with Squall, half-paralyzed with guilt that she caused opened him to Ultimecia's influence, not to mention she's still having nightmares about when the Bitch used Squall's body to free Adel. Add that to the fact that they've both been away from his life long enough to have him move on without them. They don't know the Squall I do, they only know the little Squally that he was when he was four and the Sorceress knight."

"That still doesn't explain your involvement. Even if what you say is true, and no Seifer, I do believe you, the Squall I've known didn't want or need family of any kind."

Seifer laughed at that, hollowly. "The whole War puts the lie to that statement Doc. The only reason the Bitch was able to take him in the first place was because he was so alone, because he was so devastated when Sis left that Matron formed a special tie with Squall to try and compensate, and the lack of other ties left him open to the Bitch's influence. She tried to take me too, did you know that?" Evidently Dr. Kadowaki hadn't because Seifer continued. "She tried to take me as Her knight, but She couldn't find a way into my head. The reason she could get into Squall's was because he was so alone."

"So this is because you feel guilty about not being able to prevent him from being taken as a knight?" Seifer must have given the doctor one of his _looks_, because before too long she laughed a bit and said, "I forgot for a moment to whom I was talking to. Go on, get out of here. You'll be the first to know if anything changes." The door swished open, and Seifer's footsteps finally left, returning back the way he'd come.

For a long moment, Squall nearly forgot to breathe. What Seifer was implying… it scarcely bore thinking about. And how did Seifer know Laguna? Much less imply that the moron he'd seen in a dream on the way to Timber was Squall's father? No. It couldn't be true. And what Seifer had implied as well, that he had been weak since he lost Sis, and that the reason Ultimecia had taken him was because of that weakness…no. Just, no.

He was so rattled by what Seifer had said, or implied, that for a moment he forgot to feign sleeping, long enough for the ever-alert Dr. Kadowaki to discover he was awake. "Ah, so your awake after all. How long were you faking?"

Bewildered, Squall didn't answer, unsure if he could speak without tripping over his tongue. He finally shrugged in answer, as if to say he had no idea. It was nearly the truth. To his relief, the doctor seemed to accept it, nodding to herself without question.

He had a question or two of his own. "How long?" he croaked after several abortive tries, unable to get out more than that with his sore, dry throat.

Thankfully the doctor understood what he meant. While bringing him a soothing drink of water, she answered, "It's been two days since we brought you back, four since Seifer discovered you missing. And no," she said abruptly, correctly interpreting his questioning glance, "we don't know just how long you were tortured. Some hours at least, depending on how long an interval they waited between pulses. Unless you can remember and tell us?" she imbued the last word with a question, though by her expression it was obvious she didn't hold out that much hope for his memory.

Squall shook his head in a negative. He'd lost all sense of time pretty early on in the proceedings, and he had no way of knowing how long they'd continued to torture him after he'd fallen unconscious before Seifer interrupted them, or even how long he'd held out before succumbing. Not to mention that the overdose of Sleep spells had screwed with his sense of time, well before the torture had actually begun. Letting his gaze drift absently around the Infirmary, he suddenly froze as his eye came to rest on a familiar sight.

There, propped up against one wall, where Dr. Kadowaki usually left an injured SeeD's or cadet's weapons, was Lionheart, sheathed in its holster like it had never been taken from him. His eyes drank in the sight, and what it meant. For nearly three entire months, he had been forced by his probation to leave the gunblade in the Training Center, locked in one of the lockers available for storing precious items that a cadet didn't want to lose while training or to keep a fresh change of clothes (one free from sweat and monster gore) to wear when finished with training. And even though he'd received Lionheart from the Sorceress, there was something about the gunblade that _called_ to him, that said it was his own. Maybe it was the way the grip felt as if it had been made for him alone, or the way the strangely glowing metal felt like an extension of his arm, even more so than the Revolver model he'd favored before. Lionheart _defined_ him, in a way no other weapon, no matter how finely crafted, had done so. He suspected that Seifer felt similarly toward Hyperion, the reason why Garden's commander had never used another gunblade besides the one he'd used when he'd first graduated to live steel.

But there was a message for him in the gunblade lying so serenely against one wall, a faint blue glow just peeping over the rim of the holster, just waiting for him to buckle it back into place. Lionheart, here, without any restrictions save Dr. Kadowaki's eagle-eyed glare if he so much as touched it without her approval, was an unspoken signal that his probation was over, that Seifer-or Fujin as the case might well have been- trusted him enough to at least allow him to have his weapon back, if not all the privileges that a graduated SeeD enjoyed in Garden.

Dr. Kadowaki saw what had captured his attention, following his gaze, and chuckled lightly. "Oh yes, I thought you would notice that sooner or later. Seifer dropped that off for you yesterday, as soon as the strap on the holster was repaired-" she caught his startled glance, and explained herself. "One of the thigh straps on your holster was torn when you were taken, that was one of the things that clued Seifer in that you had been taken against your will after you didn't show up for your scheduled duel." Now her gaze was purely disapproving. But then, Squall thought with a mental sigh, the doctor had never approved of his rivalry with Seifer, largely because she had been forced to patch the two of them up every time they'd injured each other in one thinly-disguised sparing match or another.

"Now, where was I again? Oh yes. Seifer told me to tell you that getting kidnapped doesn't excuse you from skipping out on your rematch, though I'll tell you what I told him, that it will have to wait for at least another month or two before you can fight."

Squall stared at her in naked shock. "A _month_?" he choked out. A month before he could fight again? That just didn't seem possible. Sure, he hurt all over, but a full _month_ to get back in to fighting shape?

"At least." Dr. Kadowaki's expression was sympathetic, but stern. "You nearly died. Several times. And that's just for basic fighting, I want you to wait another month as well before I'll allow you to fight Seifer again."

_Two months_ before he could have his rematch with Seifer, Squall thought numbly. There was _no way_ Seifer would be willing to wait that long. He told the doctor as much.

The doctor bit back a smile. "Actually, he _was_ willing to wait. He told me that he could wait as long as it took for you to recover enough to… how did he put it… 'fail miserably at kicking my ass in a fair fight..' or something to that effect. You know how colorful he can be at times."

Squall _did_ know. That knowledge didn't prevent him from seeing red as he visualized the snide tone Seifer had most likely used while saying those words, and more besides. Grey-blue eyes hardened. If Seifer expected an easy win, he could think again. He'd heal, and once he could fight again he would train as hard as he could so that by the time Dr. Kadowaki cleared him to fight Seifer, he would kick Seifer's ass so hard the blond would be seeing stars, and _not_ fail miserably at the task. And when he stood over Seifer, Lionheart on the blond's arrogant neck, he _would_ make him _eat_ those words, several times over.

Dr. Kadowaki recognized the familiar gleam of vengeance in his eyes with the ease of long experience, and snorted briefly, but didn't say anything against it, also knowing from experience that it was useless. Squall remembered the last time she had spoke obviously against his rivalry, just before the exam when he'd woken up in the Infirmary, a fresh scar on his brow. The pointed disapproval had barely registered with him, given that he'd been faced with the prospect of Quistis's suffocating idea of understanding almost immediately afterward.

Finally the doctor simply sighed, and shook her head. "Promise me that you won't immediately go of and challenge Seifer the instant you leave this room," she requested as she tidied up the detritus that always accumulated in even the most scrupulously-kept infirmaries when a patient was in residence. She met Squall's rebellious gaze squarely, impressing her seriousness on him. "And don't think I won't know. Seifer promised to inform me if you challenge him before I clear you, and don't think you won't live to regret it."

Internally, Squall winced at the threat. Dr. Kadowaki was dangerously inventive when it came to devising punishments for disobeying her orders. Still, he had to speak up. "How do you know Seifer would come to you? Or what if he challenges me?"

She laughed a bit at the thought, but then subsided in the face of Squall's stony glare. "Because I know that he knows that I'll subject him to the same punishment as I would you if he didn't come to me, not to mention he's still too spooked by what happened to you to put a foot wrong. He will make sure you obey, even if you don't want to."

With a scowl, Squall looked away. Shiva freeze it, but the explanations made sense. Except for one thing. "Spooked?" it didn't seem like Seifer to get spooked about anything, much less his welfare. He couldn't understand it.

"Frantic, more like." the doctor clarified. "I've seen corpses with more color than he had when he brought you out of the prison. I don't think he so much as looked away or moved once, the entire time my team was stabilizing you."

It still didn't seem possible to Squall. Not only was it dangerous and contrary to their training, but Seifer? frantic over him? , Seifer, the arrogant asshole who had made his life at Garden hell on more than one occasion, pale with fright over what had happened to him? He couldn't credit it, and told the doctor as much.

"All I'm saying is that Seifer seemed to be awfully concerned about your welfare." She paused to snort briefly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd also say that boy was more than a little in love with you."

Squall visibly froze. That word again. Fujin, Selphie, Seifer, and now Dr. Kadowaki as well, all of them bringing up that word into conversations it had no place intruding into. It seemed that as soon as he'd returned to Garden after Time Compression, the whole facility had gone mad over love, specifically, love between himself and Seifer.

He should have known that he could never have hidden his reaction from the ever-alert doctor. Barely had he tensed, then the doctor was at his side, checking him over with gentle hands, making sure that he hadn't tensed because of a new, inadvertent injury. He hadn't, of course, Dr. Kadowaki's care was as excellent as always, and her perceptions against accidental injury were no doubt doubled or tripled due to the level of care her blunt "you almost died," statement camouflaged.

But there was some other reaction to the word love he was feeling. Something… that was at first opaque, then, as he focused on it, the memory began to unfold, unleashing an emotional storm in its wake. He started to shake, and tears began to involuntarily leak from his eyes. He could hear the doctor's startled indrawn breath, then felt strong arms wrap around him, careful not to trap his arms in the embrace, as 13 years of pain and loneliness spent themselves in a storm of tears.

After the fit had worked itself out, and sipping yet another cup of soothing water, Squall glared daggers at the imperturbable doctor, telling her without words that she had better keep quiet about what had just occurred if she knew what was best for her. If Seifer got wind of this… he didn't want to think about what would happen. He'd likely have to kill the blond to keep him from spreading the story all over Garden.

It was wasted effort, and he knew it. Dr. Kadowaki wouldn't tell anyone what happened inside her domain, absolute privacy within the Infirmary was a hallmark of her tenure. Still, it made him feel better, so he ignored any guilt he might have felt over the reflexive action. Not to mention that it helped him regain his mental footing after the embarrassing break down.

Re-focusing on the water he was drinking, Squall had just started the process of blanking the entire incident from his memory (using a trick taught to cadets for forgetting classified client codes after the conclusion of a mission) when Dr. Kadowaki interrupted his concentration. "Do you want to talk about it?" he fought down his first reaction, a violent "NO!", and reluctantly discarded his second as well, outright denial that anything had happened, finally settling on making his face completely blank and staring into his cup like it held the secrets of the universe.

"Squall…" her voice was heavy with disappointment. He looked up, taking in her expression, thinking rapidly. Dr. Kadowaki stood apart from the various power struggles that took place in Garden on a daily basis. Her infirmary was open to all, no matter how humiliating or embarrassing an injury happened to be, she treated it in silence like all the others. Though he had never himself done so, he knew that several cadets and SeeDs went to her for her help and advice on a variety of matters, from guilt and anguish over their first human kill, to relationship advise, and for the female cadets at least, the little mysteries that the female body went through during puberty. She never breathed a word of what she'd learned, keeping her mouth shut with such skill that an Intelligence SeeD in enemy territory might envy. If he could talk to anyone, and be _absolutely sure_ that it wouldn't be leaked to the Garden rumor pool, he could talk to the doctor.

"If you tell anyone…" he muttered in acquiescence, catching Dr. Kadowaki's exasperated nod of assent as he lifted his eyes from his lap.

"I swear," she said, traces of exasperation in her voice, though not so much that Squall doubted what she'd said. He stared at the sheets on the bed, his eye locked on the pattern of threads in the starched linen, unsure of how best to proceed

"Sis loved me," he whispered eventually, his voice scarcely audible even to his own ears. "She told me she did many times. That wasn't enough to prevent her from leaving. She didn't even say goodbye." Shit, he sounded like a small child, whimpering for his mother. He was a SeeD, the equal of the commander of Balamb Garden in skill, not some helpless infant crying in the rain.

Dr. Kadowaki didn't offer any verbal sympathy, just slowly nodded her head in silent acknowledgement of his words. Squall was unaccountably grateful for the silent listening, without the suffocating feeling of sympathy that he'd get from telling someone like Quistis or Selphie. That was the only thing that gave him the courage to continue speaking.

"Matron also told me that she loved me. But that wasn't enough to prevent her from sending me to Garden, or to prevent her from stopping Ultimecia from taking me as Her knight. And I know," he said quickly, holding up a hand to stop Dr. Kadowaki's reflexive comment, "that she wasn't in control of herself at that point, but…"

"But that knowledge isn't enough to stop the hurting." The doctor guessed, completing Squall's thought without him having to spell it all out himself. She continued, watching his face closely for any further cues regarding the topic at hand. "And the reason you find yourself shrinking away from other people, and the word love as well, is because your experience is, that when you let someone in close, they nearly always abandon you. Am I right?"

He nodded wordlessly, grateful she understood. The doctor continued, her no-nonsense voice unaccountably gentle. "But Seifer is different."

Squall didn't normally throw tantrums, that was like more Seifer's behavior than his, but he couldn't stop himself this once, leaping from his bed to pace, or at least, he tried to. "He makes me go insane! He's always following me, bothering me, never giving me a moment's peace, and has the colossal nerve to tell me its for my own good!"

"But what about those times when it actually _was_ for your own good?" there was something unreadable in the doctor's dark eyes, something that some part of Squall shied away from trying to read as she steadied his weakened form, helping him back to bed. "Wouldn't the War, and Seifer's pursuit of you, even when you were under Ultimecia's influence, be an example of when he _shouldn't _have left you alone? Or the times he dragged you in here because you were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration? Should he have left you alone then?"

Squall shook his head rapidly, trying and failing to bring his thoughts back under control. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. Seeing his confusion, Dr. Kadowaki called a halt to their discussion. "Squall, I want you to think on what we just talked about, as well as something else. If you're so closed off from everyone else as you believe you are, tell me why Seifer couldn't look away as I treated you, why he transferred his entire arsenal of spells to one of my assistants when she called for any healing spells that could be spared. Not to mention, why do _you _care? Why do you let Seifer get to you, goad you into reacting, even when he's not present? You don't try and puzzle out the motivations of say…" Dr. Kadowaki cast about for a random name, "Zell Dincht, or Instructor Trepe for example. "

That was an easy answer, Squall thought, a touch resentfully. Quistis and Zell were almost transparently easy to read, so much so that it wasn't any kind of challenge to find out what they were thinking, or why they were doing something at a given time. Seifer on the other hand…wordlessly Squall shook his head. Seifer, Seifer was another matter. If at anytime he had the slightest clue as to the blond's motivations, the asshole would say or do something to completely shatter that preconception. It was frustrating, and annoying the way Seifer defied placement into any one category, something he fully believed that the blond had deliberately done as yet one more attempt to get under Squall's skin, and something he couldn't let on to the arrogant blond if he wanted to get anywhere in their rivalry.

His thoughts must have been transparent on his face, because Dr. Kadowaki nodded sagely. "All I'm saying Squall, is that it doesn't have to be always about rivalry between the two of you. There are other ways to show you care, and yes you do care about him. Do you remember the time several years ago when Seifer got illegally drunk in Balamb and was late reporting back to Garden because he got waylaid by grats on the way back? You were the one to organize a search party for him, found him and brought him to me to get treated for that nasty gash on his arm, if you recall. You were the first one to realize he was missing, even before Fujin and Raijin did."

Squall did remember. It had been one of the first times that he had seen Seifer as human, as more than merely an annoyance to be dismissed, or as an obstacle to overcome. Seeing Seifer listing against a tree, barely able to lift his heavy gunblade as dangerous grats closed in around him, blood already staining one sleeve of his coat, had ignited something strange within him. He also remembered that it had been the first time he'd faced real monsters, not the Training Center's simulations that, while still dangerous, could be adjusted for level of difficulty, depending on the progress of the cadet or SeeD programming the beast, but anyone watching wouldn't have known it from the way he'd torn into the grats menacing Seifer, ripping them apart before they could touch the blonde again.

He reflexively shook his head, trying to dispel his confusion. No, it didn't mean what he thought it did. It _couldn't_.

His illusions couldn't last. Dr. Kadowaki spoke again, softly, but in a way he couldn't ignore. "However you rationalize it, Squall, there is some part of you that harbors stronger feelings than mere rivalry for Seifer. If what you two feel isn't love exactly, than it's something similar. I've seen it in Seifer as well. And," she added gently, "Love doesn't have to be about pain and loss. It can simply be about caring for another person, no matter how that care is expressed. And in his own way at least, Seifer does care for you. Can you deny it? Do you harbor any similar kind of caring toward Seifer?"

Squall couldn't answer, half-paralyzed at the doctor's words. His mind flashed over his interactions with Seifer over the years, spending more time analyzing Seifer's actions during the course of the War, from the fateful duel that had left both of them scarred, to his torture of the blond in D-District prison, to the meeting during the clash of Gardens, and the encounter in the Lunatic Pandora and during Time Compression, the double-kill match, and the Kiss.

"If it makes you feel better, I believe that Seifer is as scared as you are," Dr. Kadowaki commented, ignoring Squall's sharp look that spoke volumes about his opinion about Seifer and the blond's ability to feel fear, and that spoke eloquently as well about his own relationship with that emotion. "Squall, you don't have to be in love with Seifer, you are under no obligation to return his feelings. But if there is even the slightest chance you do, don't squander this opportunity. And you don't have to simply take my word for it either. Investigate if you want to, make your own judgments as to both what Seifer is feeling, and what you yourself are feeling. And don't lie to yourself as you do so, as I know you have far too much practice at," she warned, with a twinkle in her eye that told him that she had at least a general knowledge about the thoughts that regularly ran through his head on a daily basis.

"Now," the doctor said, changing the subject, "as I told Seifer, you still need rest to help you recover from your ordeal, not to mention giving your mind time to rest and absorb the things we just talked about. I know you Squall," her voice took on a teasing cast as one hand collected the distinctive colored light of a Sleep spell. He involuntarily tensed at the sight, memories of his recent kidnapping hovering just out of reach. "If I leave you too it, you'll be up all night trying to brood on all the new ideas and concepts I've just exposed you to. If you don't fall asleep on your own…" her voice trailed of as the spell in her hand gained greater coherence, a clear expression of what would happen if he failed to comply with her directive.

Reflexively, stupidly, spooked more than he would ever admit by the softly glowing blue light and what it meant, he protested. "But Shiva-"

Dr. Kadowaki cut him off. "Is with you, true, but her status affect immunity ability is not Junctioned to you at this time. Deliberately," she emphasized, "given that some crucial healing spells that I needed to keep you alive were also covered by that immunity. So, the choice is yours: sleep on your own, or sleep assisted by the spell."

There really wasn't any choice. With a soft sigh of surrender he lay back, eyelids closing over blue-grey eyes, breath gradually slowing down toward the rhythms of sleep. He felt, rather than saw, Dr. Kadowaki dim the lights of the Infirmary, nodding absently in acknowledgement of her soft threat to check on him in an hour, and if he wasn't sleeping on his own by then, she'd use the spell.

Frankly, Squall wasn't certain if the doctor had in fact used the spell once his eyes were closed, given how rapidly exhaustion closed in around him. He _hurt_, everywhere, but the pain seemed to be dulling a bit. His last thought before darkness claimed him again was that maybe it didn't have to be the end of the world for Seifer to like him, or him to like Seifer in return. And then he knew no more.

//\\

There was something, while not exactly wrong, but… _different_ about Squall, Seifer reflected in the weeks that followed, something more than the gunblade buckled securely in its holster at his rival's side, as if it had never left the brunet's side. It was almost as it, something that had been missing before, something that had been gone so long that even Squall had forgotten whatever it might have been, had abruptly been returned, clicking into place so seamlessly that it was difficult to know what had been absent in the first place.

It wasn't his expression that was different, that was for sure. Squall's expression, or lack of same, was the same all-purpose scowl that Seifer had seen more times than he'd cared to over the years they'd trained together. Not the look in his eyes, though, from the look of things, Leonhart had found a real doozy of a problem to sink that brooding mind of his into. Definitely not the clothes, though he still wasn't sure where the brunet found leather pants so tight he might well have been sewn into them, or how he got them off at night. Seifer found unexpectedly that he actually looked forward to figuring out the last question

Whatever it was, he couldn't figure it out, at least not from a distance. He grinned, toothily to himself at the thought. He'd already made the mistake of keeping his distance from Squall once; he didn't intend to do it again. Maybe that would finally get it through the thick brains of some of the dumber cadets and SeeDs in Garden that Squall was an _ally_, not an enemy. If not, then, well, he'd personally teach them the error of their ways in a one-on-one duel. It was a pity that as Garden's Commander, he wasn't allowed to kill any of the little shits, but bloodying them up a bit should both get the message through that Squall Leonhart was not to be touched, and relieve a bit of his frustration. His frustration at both their refusal to get on the fucking bandwagon, and at the confusion that haunted him every waking moment. The thoughts and stirrings that he couldn't get away from, that had stalked him constantly ever since he'd had the supremely foolish idea to kiss one Squall Leonhart during Time Compression.

After Time Compression, he'd tried to bury the feelings in paperwork (of all the horrors), avoiding Squall like the plague, in part to avoid the brunet's imagined retribution, but also in part to try and get away from the dreams, and feelings that haunted his mind. Fujin had spoiled that for him, barging into his office and forcing him to verbalize what he felt, which had somehow led her to the preposterous conclusion that he was in love with Squall. Somehow Tillmit had jumped on the bandwagon as well, delivering that coded message that Squall of all people, harbored romantic feelings for him, something that the Ice Prince had soundly denied when confronted face to face.

He really didn't know _what_ to believe. He could dismiss Tillmit's idea without a qualm, just like he could tune her hyperactive voice out when he needed to, but Fujin was another matter. He trusted Fujin, normally more than he trusted himself, but this was different. Or was it? While the silver-haired sorceress might play the occasional joke on him (something he expected, and kept an eye out for, even though he knew full well that Fujin didn't mean anything malicious by it) he knew in his bones that when the chips were down, Fujin would move mountains, without magic, to make things happen for him. And he also knew, that when she said something, she meant it, something that should be obvious to an idiot given that his lovely sorceress spoke so little.

Ordinarily, he would have trusted Fujin's declaration almost without question, _if_ not for the fact that his gut said it was impossible. There was simply no way it could be true, right? But Fujin had been confidant enough in her proclamation to share it with Squall, something she had confessed to him while Squall was still stuck in the Infirmary. Seifer still wasn't sure what to think on that score. While at first glance it had seemed to be a betrayal that he had a hard time crediting to Fujin, because he was rock-certain of her loyalties he'd been forced to look deeper. That, and because Fujin had recently subjected him to one of her slashing glances that not even he was immune to.

So here he was, in the Training Center observation room, spying on his rival hack grats and marlboros to death with his unique blade. Someone unfamiliar with Squall would have missed it, but he could easily tell that the brunet was chafing under the restrictions his recovering body forced him into. A glance at the control board told him that the monsters Squall was fighting were set at a level that was less than half the level that Squall normally trained at. He smirked, because every line of the brunet's posture as he efficiently cut the holographic monsters to pieces, all but shouted his displeasure at the level Dr. Kadowaki was forcing him to perform at.

Though, on a more somber note, he could also see just _why_ the doctor had cut him off where she had. He could tell that Squall was getting tired, his stores of energy nearly not enough to sustain him through the battle, weak as the monsters were. Something painful pulled at his chest to see his powerful rival, brought so low by the interference of others. The recovery from the prolonged electrical torture the brunet had endured, was progressing more rapidly than the doctor had originally anticipated, hence Squall's presence here in the Training Center a mere three weeks after he'd been returned to Garden.

Out in the Training Center, Squall stumbled and fell; only barely missing what could have been a lethal strike from a grat tentacle. Sea-green eyes hard, Seifer slammed his hand on the controls, and with a sparkle of light, the monsters pressing Squall vanished. He smirked at Squall's reflexive glare in his direction, not only was the Ice Prince mad that he'd prematurely ended his fight, but the brunet was pissed that someone was checking up on him in the first place.

Discretely, Seifer sent a message to Dr. Kadowaki in the Infirmary, telling her to come collect Squall before he injured himself further. While the doctor was traversing the distance between her domain and the Training Center, he used his personal passcode to lock out any more attempts from Squall to program more opponents. Almost as soon as he finished, the tone indicating an unsuccessful attempt filled the control room, causing his already-present smirk to gain an additional toothy edge.

For a moment, Seifer toyed with activating the audio sensors scattered throughout the Training Center to hopefully pick up some of Squall's rare cursing (when pushed, the brunet could be impressively inventive), then abandoned the idea when the main doors swept open admitting Dr. Kadowaki's imperious form. He watched as she argued with Squall briefly, then grinned further at the way his rival finally nodded once at something the doctor was saying, and then meekly (well, as meek as Squall Leonhart could get anyway), follow her out.

Once they were gone, Seifer exited the observation room, slowly making his way to the place where Squall had nearly fallen. Reaching it, he positioned himself like Squall had before he'd fallen, wondering to himself.

He had been ready to end Squall's practice, long before it had proven necessary. His hand had been hovering over the abort command, had had the majority of the sequence typed out long minutes before Squall had fallen. Why? If it had been merely rivalry, he would have timed the brunet, would have been watching a clock to know just how long Squall lasted in his first practice since his torture before he'd fallen. He'd hadn't, the timing function of the observation room had never been activated.

Abruptly he started pacing, too restless to stay still. It all came down to this, he thought savagely. Wither or not Fujin, or Tillmit, or even both were right in their estimation of his and Squall's feelings. It was tempting to just say no, they were wrong, but no matter what Seifer did, he couldn't dismiss the possibility from his mind, the very fact of which was nearly enough to get him to consider the very faint possibility that they might just be right.

Finally he collapsed on the grass, unsure of what to do now. Even if, by some remote chance, he held any tender feeling for Squall, what would he do if those feelings turned out to be a lie, or even worse, that they weren't returned?

//\\

I know, I'm completely evil to leave it there, aren't I? I had to at least get the two boys to at least consider that they have some feelings for the other that aren't solely born of rivalry. I have to be so careful, because no matter how much I want them snuggling with each other, I want them to come to that place on their own, and not because I'm simply forcing them together. That means lots of hints, and slow dawning of realizations, no matter how slow and frustrating it might be to write (or to read, I know your impatient).

Don't forget to review my loyal readers! The more you review, the faster I work and the sooner the next chapter comes.


	15. Chapter 15

Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD

Chapter 15

//\\

Nearly six months after Time Compression ended, and exactly three months after his now infamous kidnapping and torture escapade, Squall Leonhart faced his rival across a clearing in the Training Center, gunblades glinting in both their hands, both of them ready for anything. What was about to happen had waited for _far _too long, on that they both readily agreed. The six months since their momentous double-kill duel during Time Compression seemed ages ago, and why shouldn't it have been, given that it was one of the longest stretches of time they had gone without crossing blades in all their years of rivalry.

Gingerly, Squall gently swung Lionheart, allowing the weight of the gunblade to settle in his hands just a _bit_ more securely than before. This would be a tricky match, given that Seifer would no doubt try to drag it out, in hopes of exhausting his still limited stamina before closing in to end the match. Which meant that _he'd_ have to try to end it early, which would mean going on the offensive early and never letting up.

No matter what ended up happening, both rivals would be giving beyond their all for the match. Not only bragging rights were at stake, though that was one of the various prizes awarded the winner, at least until the next duel and the next winner. No, this duel was a measuring stick of where they stood with each other since the War, the events of Time Compression, and the recent kidnapping, something that was long over due.

For some inexplicable reason, Seifer had avoided Squall for nearly 3 months after Time Compression, and they had only barely started talking to each other again by the time he'd been taken by General Caraway. After that, Seifer had been treating him whenever they'd encountered each other in the corridors as if he'd been made from spun glass, an attitude that was somehow more infuriating, if that were possible, than his previous attitude of asshole-in-your-face.

When Squall had learned that _Seifer_ had been the one to cut several of his early training sessions after his recovery off prematurely, _and_ that he'd been the one to alert Dr. Kadowaki that he was overdoing it each time, he'd nearly strangled the blond. The only reason he'd hadn't had been because the said smothering doctor had been standing over him at the time, making it perfectly clear what would happen to him if he so much as put a toe wrong under her watch.

It wasn't entirely fair, Squall thought a touch resentfully as he watched Seifer settle Hyperion into his own grip. Seifer was naturally charismatic, and why wouldn't he be, what with those clear sea-green eyes, that shinning blond hair, and a personality that naturally gathered other people's attention. It didn't matter if you loved him or hated his guts, no one could successfully ignore him for long, and Squall should know; having definitely tried it on multiple occasions, and failed at it every last time. If Seifer had wanted to, he could no doubt have found _any_ number of SeeDs or cadets to practice with, even before the War, not to mention his posse that seemed to worship the very ground he stood on. And yet, out of all the people in Garden who idolized him for what he'd done during the Sorceress War and before, Seifer, for some inane reason known only to him, went out of his way to include, bully, badger, and torment (it must be said), an anti-social, shy, retiring cadet-turned ex-Sorceress knight into participating more fully in the activities Garden had to offer.

Squall acknowledged that without Seifer to goad him into training and practicing more, he definitely wouldn't be as skilled as he was today, just as he knew that if Seifer hadn't striven to master him, the blond would be equally unskilled. The both owed their presence here to the other; neither would let the other forget it.

"Scared, Leonhart?" Seifer's face was set into his usual sneer, the mocking question nearly obligatory in their perpetual struggle.

Squall considered merely shrugging in answer, or even the entertaining possibility of not reacting at all, but eventually discarded both. For some reason, he wanted to do something _different_ in their dance of wits, reactions and blades, and it would certainly shake Seifer up for him to actually verbalize a reaction to one of his taunts, possibly creating an opening Squall could use in the process.

"You wish." Was all he said, but sure enough, it was enough to make Seifer gape briefly in surprise, and while the blond was still slightly off guard, Squall charged.

No matter how long he lived, he would never fail to appreciate the song a gunblade makes when swung through the air, nor would he ever fail to recognize the strange beauty of the fighting dance. It was one of strange things that only professional soldiers and SeeDs really noticed, the way fighters moved with or against each other, hyperaware of the other's movements, something that civilian eyes rarely recognized. It was something only truly possible with fighters who had either trained together often, fought each other often, or both, as the case was with himself and Seifer. Each of them knew the other's fighting style by heart, and as such, they could predict each other's movements from only the slightest of physical cues.

Hah, look there. Seifer began an overhead slash, which Squall avoided easily by swaying out of the way, only to abort his own mid-level thrust halfway in order to parry Seifer's side thrust aimed at his head. Neither of them were pulling any punches in the fight, but then, they never did. But for all that, neither were planning on actually killing each other, which was against Garden rules anyway (one of the few that Seifer, and himself, Squall had to admit, had never truly challenged) that both boys had followed strictly from Day 1.

The sole departure from their normal fighting routine was that they both were Junctioned with a single GF apiece, at Dr. Kadowaki's insistence due to his continued recovery. The stamina boost afforded by Junctioning meant that he had a chance of making a good showing before his strength gave out, possibly, just possibly good enough to take the victory. Squall had argued that meant that Seifer shouldn't be Junctioned then , if the intention was to give himself a boost, but Seifer had raised a fuss at the thought and Squall had been overruled.

But why was he thinking about that now? Hurriedly ducking before his brief moment of reflection resulted in Hyperion parting his head from his shoulders, Squall retaliated with a burst of energy, hacking and slashing almost recklessly, forcing Seifer to give way before his relentless onslaught, the blond cursing as the uneven ground of the Training Center nearly caused him to trip, which would have given the victory to Squall easily. Too easily, for Squall's liking.

Moving with his trademark speed, Squall pressed his momentary advantage, though he spared enough mind from his assault to try and imagine how Seifer would try and counterattack, _try_ being the relevant word in this case, he was certain. Fighting Seifer was similar to a chess game as well as a violent dance, each one trying to anticipate and counter the other's moves almost before they were even made. It was exhilarating, combat on several levels at once, and Squall would have it no other way.

Blue-grey eyes narrowed slightly in thought, how would Seifer try to counter him? It sure _looked_ like he had the blond on the ropes so to speak; a not unreasonable assumption given that all Seifer could do at the moment was trying to block the majority of Squall's strikes. But he _knew_ Seifer, knew him better than he knew anyone else, and the blond would _never_ allow himself to get into such a situation without at least even a fragment of a plan to try and get out of it. It went against almost everything Squall knew of the blond's nature. So what was his plan…?

His eyes widened briefly as it came to him. Nearly too late, he just _barely_ managed to pull Lionheart back into a guard position as Hyperion finally counterattacked. Seifer had been deliberately holding back his attack, waiting until the rapid strokes of Squall's assault had tired him out somewhat, and until the rhythm of the attack had been firmly established. A simple thrust, but one strategically placed as to be breaking the pattern, with the double hope that he, Squall, would be left flatfooted by Lionheart not being blocked as planned and Seifer would score the winning blow in that moment of distraction. It had been a good plan; one that Squall freely gave credit where it was due with a sharp nod, and the only thing that had saved him from falling for it had been his suspicion of what Seifer might have been planning.

As good as Seifer's gambit had been, it hadn't been good enough. The duel wasn't over yet, not by a long shot. But Seifer now held the advantage and it was now Squall who tried to hold him off as the blond steadily advanced. It was always stunning, the sheer power Seifer's one-handed swing could produce, and for all that Squall used two hands, he was hard put to defend himself against it.

But that didn't mean that he'd given up. On the contrary, his mind was working franticly to try and find a way to turn Seifer's attack to his own advantage. For a brief moment his mind went blank, Seifer's onslaught was simply too strong, the strikes were coming too fast. Then he managed to shake the slight panic away, and the first real glimmerings of a plan began to come to him.

/\

Seifer grinned openly at the sight of the renewed fires of determination kindling in Squall's eyes. It looked like little Squally might actually have a plan after all. Good, the fight would be boring if he didn't. So far, his rival hadn't disappointed him in the least regarding the quality of the fight he'd provided. The brunet had nearly had him when he'd almost tripped. _Nearly_, that is, given that the fight was still on.

He pressed his advantage, moving somewhat slower than Squall had, but still never giving his rival the breathing space to mount a counterattack. He was completely focused on the duel, so focused that if another opponent had come upon them, or some idiot cadet programmed a monster in their section of the Training Center, they would both have likely taken serious injury before they redirected their attention to the new threat and obliterated it together.

But there _would_ be no interruptions tonight, not when the duel was deliberately scheduled for a late enough hour that all the cadets would be in their quarters for curfew, the halls patrolled by the new Disciplinary Committee appointed just a few months ago, three triplet sisters, all upper-level cadets who had fought exceptionally well in the attack by Galbadia Garden, one of them haven taken command of one of the various balconies, one who'd showed some real talent at organizing the underclassmen so that none of them ventured into a combat zone but still managed to help Balamb Garden repulse the invasion, re-organizing the internal barricades to better restrict access to Garden's corridors and sending stocks of potions to the hard-pressed defenders and the like, and one who had fought the Galbadian soldiers with a ferocity that had stunned onlookers and had impressed all who had seen her, even Fujin. Seifer had been oddly nostalgic giving them their new responsibilities, remembering when he and his posse had been given a similar responsibility by the Old Fart.

He tore himself away from his reminiscences in time to watch Squall somehow turn his attack inside out, the brunet kicking out with one slender leg and jerking at the blond's ankle, and while Seifer was still slightly off balance, use his legendary speed and agility to twist right out of Seifer's line of attack before Seifer could stop him, seemingly with the intention of running that uncanny blade right through Seifer's guts. Franticly he tried to dodge, tried to parry, only managing to raise Hyperion enough to just slightly alter the path of the glowing gunblade, dropping nearly flat on the ground to avoid the rest of it. Like their other duels, the fight was to first blood or submission, whatever came first, and if even the slightest bit of blood stained the bright blue blade, the fight would be over, with himself as the looser.

He _refused_ to let that happen, at least not without a proper fight. Rolling swiftly to gain his feet before Squall took advantage of his position, he brought Hyperion up just in time to deflect a second strike, before he spotted a possible opening in Squall's guard. Quick as a snake, he took it.

While Squall's attention was fixed on Hyperion and the deadlock of blades they were currently maintaining, Seifer used his free hand to snatch at one of Squall's unprotected legs, positive that the Ice Prince wouldn't have anticipated such a tactic. Sure enough, it worked like a charm. Squall went down, hard, his exotic blade torn from his grip in the process, locked with Hyperion as it was.

Afterward, Seifer wouldn't have been able to say why what had occurred next had happened. It had just had, as if it had been the only thing that could happen at this stage. Deprived of his gunblade (at least temporarily) Squall had leapt on Seifer, using his speed to knock Hyperion from his grip, the both of them rolling around it the grass of the Training Center more like civilian children than the trained SeeDs they were, barely avoiding their discarded blades, grappling with each other and punching whenever they could find the room for it, at whatever they could reach. Somewhere, in the middle of it, something _shifted_, altered from the hate-filled atmosphere of a fight, to something…different.

Instead of trying to break free, and or hurt each other, the struggles took on a different tone, though no less desperate though for the change. Hands still grappled, though the grips were different, their purpose changed. Punching hands opened, grabbing at various articles of clothing, yanking them off, almost with out thought. Seifer didn't notice exactly when he had unbuckled Squall's insane collection of belts. Squall's trademark pants followed swiftly after the belts, surprisingly easy to remove, but Seifer didn't spare the time to savor that fact, his mind immediately occupied with the wealth of pale, smooth skin thus revealed for his inspection.

Squall was equally busy. No sooner had Seifer unbuckled the brunet's belts, than Squall had his trench coat off and was busily working on his pants, yanking them down without so much as a by-your-leave. Seifer didn't mind, he simply repeated the boldness, tugging Squall's jacket away, and the shirt, the leather pants following shortly thereafter. Both of them caressed the revealed skin, covering it with their swarming hands, tasting it with their mouths. By an unspoken, mutual decision they both avoided their straining cocks, wanting to wait as long as possible before they committed themselves to what they had begun, before they allowed themselves to acknowledge that what they were doing, was _real_.

Finally, the temptation grew to be too much for Seifer. They were both completely naked by that point, and the sight of all that pale skin, perfect except for the few places Seifer had laid scars on the otherwise flawless body, had become _far_ too tempting. He'd touched most of it already, had let his fingers and tongue trace the scars with mocking gentleness, letting Squall feel the violence that had abruptly found a different outlet than normal in the pressure of his fingertips, saying without words that it would be _very_ easy to cause serious damage with the slightest shift of mood. Squall had responded to that, the pressure of the brunet's fingers tracing Seifer's own battle scars had come so very close to ecstatic pain, the kind of pain he hadn't felt in nearly a year, since the sharp edge of Squall's gunblade had last touched his skin, marking him as the brunet's.

The touch of those sure, white fingers electrified Seifer, made him want to intensify this new contest, wanting to make Squall twist and turn in truth, wanted to make Squall be the first one to squirm at his touch. And he knew just the way to do it, knew just the way to make the Ice Prince _melt_.

One tanned hand closed firmly on the thick cock. Squall writhed like he'd been struck by lightning, eyes rolling back in his head, a short hiss of pleasure slipping past tight lips before the proud Ice Prince stifled the sound. Seifer bared his teeth at it, relishing the audible proof that he'd affected the icy brunet. He moved his hand, wanting to hear that faint sound of surrender escape his rival's mouth again.

He barely had time to properly enjoy the victory before Squall turned the tables, a slim, strong hand taking a hold on Seifer's own cock, so tight it was nearly painful. Seifer's eyes rolled back in his head at the sensation, forcing them open again to glare daggers down at Squall, the brunet's own eyes mere twilight blue slits sending his glare right back up at him.

Abruptly, Squall gave a heave, toppling Seifer onto his back, neither of them letting go of their prizes. Seifer tried to break free, but the slimmer boy was a dead weight atop him, and would not be budged. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't break free. Abruptly he went limp, and like he'd anticipated, Squall, expecting more struggling, overbalanced and Seifer was able to shift their positions yet again. Seifer hissed as Squall tightened his bone-white fist about his cock in revenge, the brunet still struggling to regain his advantage.

They settled into a rhythm then, taking turns on top, their hands pumping each other's cocks while their bodies rubbed up against each other as they struggled, both of them determined to be the one to hold out the longest, to be the one who forced the other to orgasm first. Rational thought fled, no heed was paid to the deadly weapons lying abandoned mere feet away from them in the grass as they struggled, struggled to win.

Their mutual orgasm caught them both by surprise with the force of it, miniature suns exploding inside them, as they lay, side by side in the cool grass, letting the simulated breeze of the Training Center cool down their overheated bodies.

Reality abruptly returned with a jolt. Squall broke away first, gathering his scattered clothes and retrieving his gunblade, running for the Training Center's entrance. Seifer made no move to stop him. He was far too stunned as well at what had just occurred to offer any protest at Squall's flight. He squeezed his eyes tight shut, trying to find enough of a semblance of composure that he felt as if he could safely brave Garden's corridors, deserted, as they no doubt were.

One thought ran through his mind, blotting out everything else, and undermining his attempts at self-control: whatever happened, he was seriously _fucked_.

//\\

It took long time before Seifer felt comfortable even _thinking_ about what had happened in the Training Center, without reflexively trying to blank it out of his memory, and that was because he had no choice. He'd failed miserably at each attempt to erase it, each try only embedding the details deeper into his brain the more he tried to get rid of them. Even then, he tried to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, spending long hours at the Training Center (though he avoided the clearing where the abortive duel had taken place like the plague) trying to exhaust himself fighting monsters so he couldn't think anymore. That effort failed. Next he'd tried to bury himself in paperwork, that attempt failed even more miserably than the hard training. Every scrap of idea he had to try an escape the memory of what had happened in the Training Center with Squall, failed almost before he'd tried it.

Even in sleep he had no escape. On the contrary, it was _worse_ while he slept. His dreams were full of memories mixed with fantasies alike, full of satin skin, silky hair and the way they had both felt under his hands, it was no wonder that it has ceased to be strange to wake up, hard and aching, with the sheets already damp and stained with both sweat and seed from his dreams.

Even though he might have wanted to blame Squall for his dreams, and his current inability to think, which he _did_, make no mistake, at least a little, the lions share of the guilt he felt, he laid at what he felt to be the proper target: himself. He's promised Squall a usual spar, to regain their usual footing with each other after the War, and the disorienting effects of Time Compression. Then the brunet had been kidnapped, and as a result had lain at death's doorstep for much longer than Seifer would ever be comfortable with. The duel had been supposed to set all the uncertainties they felt to rest, restructuring their relationship back into the rivalry that had defined them for the majority of their lives.

Instead, it had done nearly the exact opposite. Instead of putting things back in their proper places, it had jumbled them up even more, _adding_ uncertainty instead of taking it away. Instead pf placing them back on familiar footing, it had sundered them, both of them fleeing to opposite ends of Garden's vast complex, maintaining the distance between them, neither willing to face the other.

Seifer couldn't honestly blame Squall if that was indeed the case. But even if he was completely wrong about what the brunet was feeling (something he very much doubted was true) if what Squall was experiencing was only _half_ as confusing as what he was going through, he wished the Ice Prince luck at resolving it. Even half was more than enough to make a person's head spin.

Hyne's flaming balls. Would he ever be free of the memory of it? Would he spend the rest of his life, half-tormented by dreams and fantasies that would never come true in reality? He knew one thing: that even if what had occurred with Squall driven them both to mutual orgasm, it had been chaste compared to some of his other affairs, but nevertheless, it had ruined him for future encounters. Every kiss, every dalliance, every affair he embarked on in the future, and he had no reason to think that there _wouldn't_ be affairs, he'd found plenty of willing bedmates even before the War, how much more would his stock rise with the female population after he'd become a genuine hero? At least, that had been the case.

He knew, deep in his bones, that any attempt to find some moderately attractive girl to scratch the itch would only make it worse. He'd actually _tried_ a few times, went down to Balamb for a night of drinking and fucking, hoping that the combination of alcohol and willing flesh would block out the traitorous memory. Instead, it had backfired completely, for some reason the experienced whore's touches had felt worse than a fumbling virgin's, he'd barely been able to maintain an erection, at least before his traitorous mind had mentally replaced her with Squall, only _then_ had he become hard in earnest. Even with the picture, his reluctance had showed, making it hard for him to achieve orgasm, the whore had climaxed at least twice before he'd finally cum.

Afterward, instead of feeling satisfied and sated, he felt dirty, used. He paid the whore, then walked slowly back to Garden, lost in thought, absently waving off the groundcar he'd arrived in. The walk had helped somewhat, had cleared his head from the majority of the alcoholic stupor he'd been suffering from since before the whore had picked him up in the bar, but that had backfired as well. True, it had helped with the hangover he'd been suffering from, but where his mind cleared, it clouded in other ways, thoughts of what he'd been trying to forget in the first place haunting him.

After nearly a month had gone by, he thought, _briefly_, of talking to someone about it, thinking that he might (possibly) get it off his chest, verbalize the images crowding his brain, he might gain some peace from it all. Almost as soon as it crossed his mind he banished the thought, discarding the notion almost reflexively. _No_, if he wanted to maintain any sanity at all, he couldn't. Not to mention, talking about it would spread the story, even if he only told Fujin and Raijin, who he trusted almost beyond all doubt.

_Almost_ beyond all doubt, because Raijin's loyalties were slowly transferring to Fujin first, and because Fujin had leaked her interpretation of his pre-duel confusion to Squall before the brunet was kidnapped. They would always be his posse, but they were beginning to find a life where he did not always play a central part, and he couldn't, not truly, blame them entirely, as much as the more spiteful part of himself might want to. They would never cut him out completely, but their differing responsibilities, not to mention Fujin's and Raijin's visibly growing bond, didn't leave them the time together that they'd once had. Seifer understood that, just as he understood that if he ever needed them for anything, they would be at his side in a heartbeat, ready to aid him however they could.

Like they had during Squall's kidnapping. It had been Raijin who had organized the briefing and set up the base camp from which they'd launched the assault. Fujin had led one of the squads searching for the ex-knight, making Seifer understand that due to that status, she might be able to pick out his magical signature. Both of them had managed the camp while in use, had supervised the dismantling of it, and set Garden back on course to Balamb while Seifer had been glued to the Infirmary and Dr. Kadowaki's treatment of the then critically-injured Squall.

But it wasn't the same, and would never be the same. It was something, he was slowly coming to realize, that could be applied to a variety of things in the aftermath of the Sorceress War. He could see it in the eyes of the clients that came to request missions from him, heard it in the Intelligence reports he received. Could even feel it when he woke in the mornings, hard as a fucking rock, sticky, and aching, with Squall Leonhart's name on his lips. Everything was changing, things he'd thought to be rock solid beneath his feet had turned out to the consistency of packed dirt, still solid, but with the option of slipping out beneath him like quicksand if something happened. Squall, his posse, Garden, himself. Everyone was changing around him, and he still didn't know what to make of it, fighting to keep his feet with everything shifting around him, not to mention the infernal paperwork taking up far too much of his day and distracting him from puzzling out the answer to any one of the number of things he had to ponder over.

He truly didn't know what to think anymore. Right now, in the aftermath of the Sorceress War, and of the poorly thought out "duel" with Squall, nothing was certain. _Nothing_.

/\

For the first few days after his abortive duel with Seifer, Squall hid. He avoided all common areas, rarely straying beyond his quarters unless he absolutely had to leave. He might have continued the behavior indefinitely, but Dr. Kadowaki used her medical override code on his door after not showing up in either her infirmary for his continuing

checkups, or in the cafeteria for meals. Stern and unsympathetic, she had shooed him out of his own room (he still wasn't entirely sure haw that had happened) and had somehow extracted a promise from him to avoid repeating that behavior in the future, combined with dire threats of what he could expect if she caught him at it again in the future.

That left him with little choice but to try and find isolated places in Garden to hole up in, places where he could be almost sure that Seifer wouldn't find him, venturing into public locations like the cafeteria only when they were about to close, and the only people left there were the workers starting to clean up. Thus they were able to report to Dr. Kadowaki that Squall did indeed show up for and eat at least two meals a day (the doctor would have preferred three, but ha known making the bargain that two would be the best she could get), and that any possibility of encountering Seifer had been nearly completely erased, even if Seifer had been looking for him in the first place.

In the name of all of Shiva's Ice, why had he jumped on top of Seifer like he had? It was obvious (to him at least) that if he hadn't done that, the whole…incident in the Training Center would never have happened. That made what had occurred there his fault, just like it was his fault that Ultimecia had taken him as Her knight, no matter what Seifer believed.

When he'd been released from the Infirmary full time, he'd made a bee-line for the Library, finding there that his clearance was completely restored, something that he'd put to immediate use in researching Seifer's claim that the reason Ultimecia had found him vulnerable (something he deeply resented the implication of) to Her influence because he'd been so alone at Garden. He hadn't been able to find any direct proof of that, but what he did find was a paper by an Estharian scientist named Odine, the same scientist who had designed a good deal of the SeeD magical equipment supply. In it, Odine (who Squall privately came to think of as a bit of a quack) described the strange abilities of his test subject, who, though not named directly in the paper (though reading between the lines Squall discovered that it was a young girl, maybe four or five years of age), was seemingly capable of "Connecting" to others, either present, or with whom she had an important emotional connection already established. Depending on how those she could remotely connect to felt about her, she could even reach beyond them to Connect to people that they in turn felt close to, and so on and so forth.

The catch in the ability came if one if the people she contacted in that manner, distrusted her for _any_ reason, consciously or unconsciously, even just a little bit. She was able to reach that one person, but was prevented from traveling further down the figurative road of intimate ties. Odine wrote that he planned to make a machine that could replicate that ability, allowing others to use the girl's abilities, which, he wrote, were unique in the world. A nearly valid claim, Squall acknowledged, given that at the time Odine wrote it, Esthar had been a mighty empire, ruled by the nearly-invincible Sorceress Adel, someone Squall vaguely recalled as someone Ultimecia had been interested in, though he couldn't say just why.

Closing the file, he'd sat back in his chair and thought. Odine had written that paper just before Esthar had closed its borders 17 years ago. From what little Ultimecia had told him about the girl She had torn the world apart searching for, and that he remembered, Ellone had been about four or five years old about that time. And the machine Odine built to replicate her abilities, must have been what enabled Ultimecia to reach into this time frame to wreak Her havoc.

Calling up a few files on sorceresses, again out of an Estharian database Garden had access to, he read a few reports on just how a Sorceress passed Her power off to another, and just what the requirements were for such a transfer to be completed successfully. Apparently they couldn't be passed off to any random person like the common wisdom said, but there were specific requirements needed for the transfer to work.

One of the things needed, was an advanced magical ability, it didn't have to be active at the time of transference, it just had to be there. And something else was needed, something Odine and other Estharian scientists had hemmed and hawed about, but had failed to pin down in any real detail, apparently it was some core of inner ruthlessness that shaped the influx of magic, an iron hard will that forced the incoming rush of power to _twist_, to change from raw energy the transfer really was, into a Sorceress's unique brand of magic.

That told him that if Ultimecia had indeed used Dr. Odine's machine, fully realized by Her time period, she would have needed someone to latch on to in this one, a sorceress in fact, who shared the same diamond core that she did. Once there, in the mind of Sorceress Edea, She was able to influence and use Matron's connections, both political and emotional, to carve out a place for Herself in this new time frame, and claim a knight.

That was where his own part came in. While Seifer had been targeted by Ultimecia's usage of Edea's pathways, he had been able to keep Ultimecia out of his mind. Squall had not, though it seemed as if he had managed to block off his own emotional connections to Her, forcing Her to search for Ellone the hard way.

That didn't matter to him. Seifer had fought off Ultimecia' tentacles, had managed to evade Her snare. He had seen it, he knew it was the truth. But he, Squall Leonhart, had failed where Seifer had succeeded, had fallen under Her spell, while Seifer had managed to stay free. That was why he hadn't fought the probation, harsh as it had been. That was why a small part of himself had _welcomed_ the torture, because it had been no more than his due. Now he had another burning shame to throw on top of the first. What had occurred between Seifer and himself in the Training Center… he felt his cheeks heat at the mere thought of it, then sobered. It _hadn't _happened, that's what he kept trying to tell himself, and what he'd tell anyone else incase the word somehow got out and some idiot was foolish enough to ask him what had happened. _Nothing_ had happened. _Nothing_.

For the millionth time, he retraced the progress of the duel in his mind, trying to see if there had been anyway those events could have been avoided. For the millionth time he tried to change events in his mind, so that things fell out differently. No dice. Every time he tried it, he'd failed miserably at his intended goal, the figures in his mind representing himself and Seifer fell on each other, sometimes hard, sometimes tenderly (of all the weirdness), sometimes playing out exactly what had happened to the letter. Every time he tried to diagram out a fight where…_that_ didn't happen, it did, much to his profound annoyance. He'd had cause to regret having a closet full of nothing but tight leather pants after each attempt.

No matter. He would continue trying until he found a way to fight Seifer in a way like they used to do, where no mystifying kisses or…_other_ related events happened, where he and Seifer simply fought each other to exhaustion and beyond, only to repeat the fight with a different outcome the next week or so, if not sooner.

And as unappealing as it may sound, those fights might be over for good, unless he and Seifer could get their acts together enough so that the only mauling that occurred during one of their duels was due to gunblades and fists, not…other stuff. Which, based on the last two times they had fought, didn't look as if it would happen anytime soon, right now, the only surefire way to make sure that it didn't happen again, was to avoid fighting with Seifer, and to even more sure, was to avoid Seifer entirely. It shouldn't even take that much effort, at least for now. Not given that Seifer was most likely avoiding him, just as much as he was avoiding Seifer.

It would take time, not to mention a miracle, to bring them together again, at least for now, Squall knew in his bones. Now, it was time for both of them to consider the repercussions of their actions, something he knew they both needed. Maybe by the time they allowed each other to find each other again, these _issues_ would have been dealt with, and wouldn't half to trouble them again. He hoped as much.

//\\

ta-da!!! Something that you've been anticipating for a loooong time finally happened, didn't it? _Didn't_ it??? Nice to know that a bit of nudging can get me to eventually deliver, isn't it???

In all seriousness, this chapter was a difficult one. and that was for one reason, and one reason only. This was my very first yaoi sex scene (my first sex scene _period_) that I've felt good enough about to post. Please review and let me know how I did?

And don't worry, Squall and Seifer WILL sort out their confusion (they'd better… or else!) at least partway by the next chapter. But if they were freaking out the way they did over a single KISS, then you can bet they'd freak out even more now. That's just the way they are. Though you can bet that once their respective support groups find out what just happened… things are going to get interesting, very soon.

Please be patient for the next chapter, I'm nearly at the end of what I'd planned (again!) so I need to do a little brainstorming if the story is going to continue past next chapter. Or not, so please bare with me.

You _will _review, won't you? :puppy eyes:


	16. Chapter 16

Icicle Knight Firey SeeD

Chapter 16

It all happened by chance, and by the time the moment was over, Seifer couldn't say if he was happy or sorry that it had happened at all.

He'd been in the Cafeteria, getting some coffee to help him stay focused and awake while working on finishing up a contract that was due to be signed the next day. And while he grumbled to anyone and everyone who would listen (and a few who wouldn't) about the rush, he couldn't deny that the longer he stayed up working, the less time he'd have to dream about Squall before it was time to get up in the morning for his morning meeting. It had been a chilly night, even inside Garden's temperature-controlled grounds, and he'd been relishing the steam coming up from his mug when he'd walked right into someone, hot coffee spilling all over the Cafeteria floor and across his coat, most likely staining the fabric. Raising his head to snarl at the one responsible, he looked right into Squall's silver-blue eyes.

The words died on his lips. It had been several months since the duel in the Training Center, and in all that time they hadn't laid eyes on each other once, something that Seifer belatedly found to be incredible, even taking Garden's massive size into account. The tension was still there; nothing had changed in their months apart. Seifer gazed into Squall's eyes and had to fight back the urge to touch, to claim, to taste the brunet's silky smooth skin that had so drawn him during the… incident.

As always when he was discomforted in any way, he lashed out, tried to shift the atmosphere into a situation he could control. "So Leonhart, had enough of whatever hole you were hiding in?" his tone was cutting, his words mocking, his body language insulting. Anything and everything to make sure that… what had happened the last time they had come in contact with each other, didn't happen again.

Squall merely shrugged. For one heart stopping instant, Seifer saw _red_, could visualize the Cafeteria walls washed in red, red blood. How _dare_ Squall not react! Then common sense prevailed. While he lashed out either verbally or otherwise when uncomfortable, Squall shut down and pretended that it didn't bother him. The lazy smirk reasserted itself, he deliberately relaxed his tense posture, determined to show the same nonchalance as Squall, even if the effort killed him.

From Squall's tiny smirk, a mere subtle twitch of the lips, lips that were much too full for any sort of fairness a distant part of Seifer's mind noticed, his effort at appearing unaffected by the vibrating tension between them, and he _knew_ that the Ice Prince felt it too, was transparently obvious. Stung, Seifer dropped the pretence like an incompatible GF.

Seifer struck out reflexively, having to do something, _anything_ to recover from that moment of lost advantage. "Is something _funny_, Lionheartless?" the words dropped into the empty space, filling the deserted Cafeteria. For one endless instant after they left his lips, Seifer stupidly wished he could take them back. Then time reasserted itself. Squall tensed, one hand dropping to the hilt of his blade, visibly affected.

And why shouldn't he be? 'Lionheartless' was the one nickname Squall hated with a passion, and more than one of their more violent spats had been provoked by Seifer's use of it. It was the one name that was off-limits, the one that guaranteed a fight when used. By uttering it, Seifer was telling Squall without words that whatever fight that was to come (and there was _always_ a fight after using that name) would be personal, one where any and all ill-feelings would be invoked and used. That was why he rarely used it, only invoking its power when he was seriously pissed off. That the name stung more than ever since the War, what with Lionheart being the name by which Squall called his blue beauty, was only an added bonus when Seifer felt this pissed off.

Abruptly, the tension suffusing the brunet's slight frame vanished, evaporating into thin air. Seifer's scowl began to deepen as the pale hand left the distinctive hilt. What was Squall playing at? Using that nickname _should_ have been nearly enough provocation for a duel, or at least it had proved so in the past. And for all of Squall's reserve, he'd never been a coward, had never been one to back down from a naked challenge. Unless…

The answer hit him with the force of a blow. The duel, what had happened between them in the Training Center, all those months ago. Now he was thinking of it, something he'd finally managed to avoid most of the time, the reason why Squall had backed down became suddenly obvious.

"Finished posturing?" was the brunet's only question when he'd noticed the light of comprehension light Seifer's eyes. "We can't keep doing this."

As much as it hurt Seifer's pride to concede to his rival in anything, Squall was right. They couldn't keep fighting whenever they saw each other, not if they wanted to keep… the incident from happening again. Not to mention, until Cid returned, he was Garden as far as the rest of the world was concerned. If he spent all his energy brawling with Squall, then he'd have none left to counter the machinations of the various clients who thought his relative youth (at least compared to the Old Fart) meant that he was either stupid or weak (which he was _not_), and that he'd be more amenable to sending SeeDs into suicide missions on their word.

Of all the clients he was forced to make nice with (he'd been forced to unJunction Ifrit for _all_ contract negotiations, or at _any_ time he'd be meeting with clients, no excuses tolerated because he didn't need the GF's fiery nature inflating an already explosive temper), those were the worst. Eager for every excuse to cancel the contract with the fault for the failed offer lying on Garden's responsibility, possibly damaging the possibility of further offers and Garden's reputation, nitpicky over details, slow to come to agreement as to terms of payment, and panting after every rumor and potential slander to strengthen their own position, Seifer made it a point to accept as few of their contracts as possible, but he couldn't avoid them all, not when some of them were Garden's greatest benefactors. Garden needed them to continue running and they knew it, exploiting that fact as often as they thought they could get away with it.

The only good thing about working with such difficult clients; was that he was slowly working on repairing the damage caused by Cid's pushover attitude in accepting contracts. Missions like the one to Timber that had started this whole mess, would have been tossed into the shredder as a matter of course, no matter whom they came from. The sheer _madness_ of sending only three SeeDs, rookies no less, to liberate Timber _on their own_, with no time limit…if Seifer had needed any more proof that Cid had grown unable to handle his own post, that would have been it. Seifer wouldn't have touched that mission with a ten-foot pole, and would have laughed in Rinoa's face to boot while she'd proposed it.

No more would SeeDs be sent willy-nilly on any and contracts that were presented, in fact, with the loss of Trabia and Galbadia Gardens SeeDs, more and more clients were bringing their contracts to Balamb, resulting in better publicity and more business for Garden, at least until recruitment stepped up to fill and rebuild the once formidable fighting centers once more. Meaning, for the first time in the history of Balamb Garden, he could pick and choose which contracts he decided to accept, given that with the marvelous showing Garden had made during the War, more people than ever were clamoring for contracts, determined that only SeeD assistance would do. And given that Balamb was the only Garden still in operation…lets just say that he had more negotiating power than to merely pick and choose which contracts Garden accepted. A lot more.

Which meant, that not only was he Balamb Garden to the world, he was _SeeD_, and any mistake or scandal the media or his enemies got a hold of, any slightest hint of weakness, and not only would Balamb Garden suffer, but SeeD as a whole. His status as a hero in the War would help buffer some of direct attacks, but wouldn't protect him in the long run, not from all assaults on his and Garden's reputation. He could only thank Hyne that what had happened in the Training Center wasn't public knowledge, and wasn't likely to be, ever.

He relaxed his own stance. Staring at Squall, he was struck by the thought that he'd never really _talked_ to the brunet. Sure, he knew generally what Squall liked to read, and he'd hauled him bodily out of the Library enough times to know which sections he was most likely to find the Ice Prince in. He had a vague idea about what foods Squall preferred to eat, mostly from the times he'd stood over the brunet, making sure that he choked at least _some_ food down. He knew that Squall talked more to him than to anyone else in Garden, but those occasions were all arguments, all verbal battlefields, one attempting to gain an advantage over the other in some way, shape or form, and he suddenly realized that he didn't want that to be the sole means of communication between them anymore.

Echoing Squall's relaxed stance, and allowing his voice to soften, he extended one hand, open palm extended in friendship. "No," he said, so mildly he scarcely recognized it as his own, "I guess we can't."

/\

Squall eyed the outstretched hand as if it were diseased. Just _what _was Seifer up to? When he'd deliberately refused to continue the chain of reactions that inevitably led up to a fight, he'd been expecting Seifer to resist, had been prepared for a verbal struggle at the very least until he'd forced Seifer around to the fact that until they'd resolved whatever it was that had made them fall upon each other in the Training Center so that such incidents never happened between them again, they couldn't afford to fight. Not on any level aside from the verbal, and sparingly at that.

He _certainly_ hadn't been expecting Seifer to give in without a fight, capitulating even before he could present his evidence on exactly why a duel between the two of them couldn't happen at this time, and the lack of resistance left him a bit (more than he would admit, at least) unsettled.

He recovered quickly. Nodding in what he hoped was a decisive fashion, he moved past the puzzling blond, granting a shadow of a smile for the Cafeteria lady who had been kind enough to save a plate of food for him. It wasn't until he'd taken his tray and moved to sit down in an isolated corner (not that it meant much at this hour), that he realized that Seifer had followed him, a fresh, steaming mug of coffee in one tanned grip.

Thinking about Seifer, he couldn't help but wonder slightly why the blond had decided to follow him now, though he'd had to have had some reason, otherwise why would the idiot be sitting across from himself at this very moment?

It didn't take long for Squall to consume the simple meal, even with Seifer's gaze watching every move he made. Once he was done, he glared meaningfully at the blond, daring him without words to explain himself.

Seifer merely grinned at his discomfort, sea-green eyes flashing wickedly in the blond's crooked smile. Damn him for ambushing him here, at the one time when it was almost guaranteed that he'd avoid the blond, damn him for looking so perky and alert at this late hour (though that was more than likely due to the coffee than anything else), and damn him for looking as if he hadn't spent the last several months endlessly rehashing their encounter in the Training Center the last time they'd seen each other. And damn him as well for looking so…so…so, _handsome_, he stumbled to admit to himself.

Looking at Seifer, it wasn't hard to see just why his rival was so popular with Garden's female population (with the notable exception of Quistis, Xu and their cronies), as well as several outsiders like Rinoa. With that golden-blond hair, those sharp sea-green eyes, a smile that could be mocking and dazzling at the same time, it was a wonder that one of the girls in Garden, particularly one of the upper level cadets or lower-ranked SeeDs hadn't snapped him up as a boyfriend long ago. But Seifer was fickle, having fun with one girl only until he tired of her and the next girl caught his eye.

Sometimes, it was hard to believe that the female species hadn't caught on to Seifer's tricks before this. Even when or if his current girl caught wind of his past conquests, he'd simply turn on the charm, promising her that he'd changed, that he'd stay with her forever, that he'd had no judgment when he'd taken up with the other girl…and so on and so forth. It never failed. And like as not, before the month was out, that girl too would be on her way, abruptly found lacking in some incomprehensible, but crucial way.

He refused to think about what Fujin had hinted to him about, before his kidnapping torture, and subsequent rescue. Even if it had been true, and that was a fairly big if, Seifer would have no doubt have moved on by now, the fires of infatuation now fed by a more willing target, someone who could actually appreciate the dubious honor it bestowed. And he was _not_ disappointed that it had moved on. He was _not_.

Standing, he turned in his trey, giving the waiting Cafeteria lady a polite nod as she collected his things. Turning to go, he saw that Seifer hadn't moved, his enigmatic sea-green gaze still fixed on Squall, one thoughtful hand supporting that glorious blond hair. Squall's fingers recalled how smooth it had felt under his fingers, the short blond spikes feeling velvet soft under his callused hands. His hands itched to stroke it again. He locked them in place behind his back until the feeling was under control once more.

The standoff continued, Squall growing more and more uncomfortable under Seifer's unblinking regard. If his own stare was half as unnerving as Seifer's, Squall felt a new pity for those who had been the target of said stare in the past, well, for most of them. Some, like the jackass in front of him, had actually deserved it, at least most of the time, and thus he wasn't obligated to offer any pity in the slightest even _if_ Seifer would accept it, which Squall knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't. It was one of his few certainties by which he could use to understand and predict Seifer's behavior.

Predictably, Seifer was the first one to break the silence. "Quiet place. Hard to imagine that just a few hours ago it was packed with people." he said, jerking his head at the empty cafeteria

Squall tried to resist rolling his eyes at the inane comment. Only Seifer would open a conversation that way. All right, if that was how the blond wanted to play it, he could respond in kind.

"I prefer it this way. Less chance of annoying assholes spitting in my food." Was his quiet response, referencing something that had happened during their third year at Garden when Seifer had indeed spat in his food during a spat, one that had escalated into a major food fight involving the entire Cafeteria.

Seifer only grinned at the memory. "So you're avoiding me? I'm touched Leonhart, truly I am." Where in Shiva's realm did Seifer make those abstract mental jumps, the ones that left logical thought gasping in the dust, leaving other people unused to the way he thought blinking in surprise.

Fortunately, Squall was. "Touched in the head, if anything." he muttered, warily. He didn't know what Seifer was up to, not after almost provoking him to a duel and now acting as if they were best buddies. Seifer only grinned wider, acknowledging the point. Squall distrusted it.

The silence stretched again, vibrating with unspoken tension that neither wanted to give voice to. Squall was the one to break the silence this time.

"_What_ do you _want_ from me?" he abruptly burst out, startling both Seifer and himself with his outburst. He didn't care about the possibility of witnesses, the Cafeteria was nearly completely deserted and none of the staff finishing the cleanup were in this distant corner of the vast room. For all intents and purposes he and Seifer were alone, which was how he preferred their encounters. He plowed on.

"You told me during Time Compression that you wanted me to come back, that we could fix things so that things could go back to normal between us." And if that wasn't exactly what Seifer had said, that was what Squall had understood at that time. "Then you got cagy and silent for some reason, we fought to make me go back to Garden and you to talk, instead you kissed me. Then you avoid me for nearly three straight months, when time was I had to search out every hidden corner in Garden just to get you to leave me alone. We have _one_ fairly normal conversation-"

"You mean argument, and I hardly think it was a normal topic," Seifer broke in lazily. Squall's glare fixed him with sub-zero intensity; Seifer held up a hand in surrender and subsided.

"May I go on?" condescension fairly dripped from Squall's voice. Taking Seifer's silence for assent, he continued. "We had _one_ fairly typical encounter, no matter _what_ the topic may have been about, before the kidnapping, and then afterward, you kept wrapping me in cotton wool, keeping watch on me as I got myself back into fighting shape. I could have been ready sooner if you hadn't been babying me!"

Seifer did take exception to that accusation. "Hardly. I kept watch on you to make sure you didn't get yourself killed from making a stupid mistake while exhausted. Or would you have _preferred_ to get gaping holes torn in you by pushing yourself too hard? You and I both know that if you push yourself too hard too fast during recovery, you end up worse than when you started out."

Squall was in no mood to hear it. Confusion, uncertainty, and several other emotions he dared not even begin to name roiled within him, until he nearly lashed out, only refraining due to a stern check on his reflexes. He barely saw Seifer start to make a move, than freeze, as if uncertain. He didn't spare the energy to try and identify what the abortive motion had been, merely buried his face in his palms, abandoning the rest of his rant, trying to block out the world.

A hand landed on his shoulder, hesitant and sure, all at once. Almost without thinking, something in Squall relaxed at the touch, went limp, as if the touch was a perfectly natural thing, something he had always known, even if he'd never experienced it before. Then his mind caught up to his body and he shrugged it off, determinedly _not_ missing the heat of another's hand on his, the acknowledgement that he was (for one moment at least) not alone. He preferred to be alone, didn't he? It would hurt less to get rid of touch on his own accord than to have it taken away, wouldn't it? He wasn't sure anymore, he wasn't sure of anything. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at Seifer's sea-green ones, jewel-dark orbs filled with some emotion he recognized, but was hesitant to name.

Suddenly furious with his own confusion, and Seifer's lack of a clear response, he turned and fled the Cafeteria, barely hearing Seifer's shouted remark about seeing him again this time tomorrow night, too frazzled to think. When he reached the open air of the Quad, he sank down onto a bench, letting the cool night air calm him down. By the time he could think clearly again, he let his head sink into his hands in mortification. Shiva help him. Seifer wanted to get to know him better and was willing to actually _talk_ to him. What in the name of Shiva's Ice was he supposed to _do_?

/\

For a long moment after Squall had left, Seifer was left gaping like an idiot after him. Then he shook himself all over, breaking the spell that had left him dumbstruck. He was Seifer Almasy, Commander of Balamb Garden, one of the major powers in the world, and he would _not_ be caught mooning over Squall Leonhart of all people like…like…_Rinoa_ or some _other_ empty-headed teenage civilian _girl_. Abandoning his half-drunk coffee, he strode to his office thinking to bury his whirling thoughts in his waiting paperwork. He no longer needed the caffeine to keep him awake. The tempestuous thoughts and emotions stirred by Squall's words and stormy exit, would keep him awake, at least he hoped that would be the case.

By the next morning, even though he'd only gotten 3 hours of sleep total the night before, he was in a better mood than he'd been in ages, joking with Fujin when she brought him some "urgent" paperwork to keep him busy until the client arrived. He ignored her startled look (well, as startled as Fujin _could_ look anyway), cheerfully handing her the finished contract for a final look over. Let her wonder. It would do her good to have a mystery to sink her teeth into, and it would keep her nose out of his business for the most part. While Fujin poked around trying to find what had caused his unusual mood after a night of (nearly) solid paperwork (at least as far as _she_ knew), he would quietly restructure his daily routine until it included a chat with the Ice Prince every night, at least.

He grinned broadly at the thought, so entertained by Squall's imagined look of shock at seeing him again in what had obviously been his sanctuary, that even the thought of questioning the night Cafeteria staff to determine the best time to approach Squall, or the arrival of the client (one of the more pompous ones that never failed to get Seifer's back up) failed to dim it.

As he exchanged opening pleasantries with the waste of skin who'd just walked into his office, a corner of his mind was already rehearsing ways to talk to the brunet, finding ways to get under Squall's skin and make him talk about himself, without provoking the Ice Prince into a rage.

At the very least, it looked to offer more of a challenge than straight out verbal sparring. He'd always been up for a challenge, even if had been self-imposed. He would see just how long the Ice Prince could hold out before that protective icy shield of his began to melt from sheer exposure. His grin was just a tiny bit feral at the thought, unconsciously discomforting the idiot across the desk from him, causing sweat to bead on the fat brow.

The Ice Prince would never stand a chance.

//\\

For nearly two months straight, Seifer turned up every single time Squall got something to eat, no matter how he tried to vary the arrival times, be it early in the afternoon, or late at night. After the fifth time Seifer turned up un-looked for, Squall determined that somehow Seifer had bribed or otherwise cornered the Cafeteria staff into divulging when he came in for food. Even if he called for a trey to be sent elsewhere, Seifer would appear shortly afterward, until he stopped trying to avoid the blond, finally settling into a schedule that allowed him to control the atmosphere of the chat that the blond inevitably tried to engage him in.

Though, exactly _why_ Seifer was interested in the minute details of his life, Squall couldn't fathom in the least. Before the War, he would had assumed that the blond was trying to 'subtly' (in Seifer's estimation, not his own) gather some obscure blackmail material to lord over his head at awkward moments, and would have reflexively clammed up sent the nosy blond on his way. Now… he wasn't sure what Seifer was after, but somehow he knew it wasn't blackmail. Not that he could say exactly how he knew that, but he did.

Never liking mysteries in the first place (unless he organized them that is), this particular one gave him fits, given that every clue he uncovered only made the final picture more confusing and complicated. Every time he thought he was finally starting to get a handle on it, things _twisted_, and he honestly didn't even know if he wanted to see the end result, wasn't sure he wanted t make things clear anymore, but it wasn't as if he had a choice in the matter. Seifer was continuing to place himself in Squall's personal space and giving him material to try and fit it into the missing pieces that he held, trying almost against his will to assemble the final shape presented. It was frustrating work, particularly when Seifer, for some weird reason, actually _forgot_ to be the ass Squall knew he was during the majority of these little mealtime 'chats'.

There never seemed to be a set plan for one of these mealtime encounters. It varied every single time save for the fact that Seifer would _always_ show up, usually when Squall was about half-way finished with his food (he always ate fast, ill-at-ease in public areas such as the Cafeteria), and try to engage him in conversation, nattering on about whatever came into his moronic skull when Squall refused to respond.

Recently however, he'd begun speaking up, if only to correct the idiot about some obscure point in the mysteries of a two-handed grip and the advantages and disadvantages of such a grip when it came to various types of weapons, versus using only a single hand. Given that Hyperion only had room for a single hand on its hilt, Seifer was obviously ignorant of even the basics for using two hands, the blond's only knowledge coming from observing himself and Raijin. And thus had a very limited understanding of all that could be accomplished by using a second hand. That conversation had been cut short by Fujin searching out her obviously very tardy leader for something, both of them so absorbed in their debate that not even Squall with his sensitivity toward the distinctive feel of a Sorceress's magic, noticed her approach.

Strangely, after Fujin had literally dragged Seifer out of the Cafeteria by his ear, the blond protesting loudly the entire way, Squall couldn't find it in himself to object to the experience. Sure, Seifer dogging his steps constantly was annoying, but Squall couldn't recall any other time when he'd had such a satisfying debate with the blond about _anything_ that didn't end with blood in any way, shape, or form. No heated words, no war of implication and innuendo, no show of one-upmanship in any form, and it had felt so…so… _satisfying_. That was the only word he could think of to describe how he'd felt after that conversation.

Two days later it happened again, the two of them staying up half the night, arguing about what was the best use of magic in the field, and what might happen if someone got too accustomed to using spells for everything, even when the situation didn't call for it. It started by Seifer complaining about how Fujin had nearly stopped carrying items such as potions and phoenix downs with her when she went into the field, preferring to do everything accomplished by those devices with magic.

Squall had agreed with him on the principle of it (scary as that thought was when he thought about it) but had countered with the opinion that given that Fujin was now a sorceress, she needed to find ways to burn off the power inside her, if casting Cure and Regen on herself and other members of her squad every 15 minutes did the trick rather than hording the magic and having it curdle inside and corrupt the part of her that held fast to a SeeD's discipline and her bond of loyalty to Seifer, influencing her to strike out on her own and force Seifer to send SeeDs out to take her down. Not that he mentioned the last part, knowing that Seifer would not react well to the implication that he might one day be ordered to kill both his best and oldest friends, for if Fujin ever went rogue, Raijin would go with her as her knight.

Then he was forced to explain exactly why he thought that not using her magic constantly would make Fujin go rogue. Reluctantly, each word like pulling teeth, he related what he'd seen (and remembered, though the holes in his memory were slowly returning) of Edea at the height of Her power as a Sorceress, and what he'd learned from the recently opened Estharian databases about Adel. He wasn't able to say much about Ultimecia, given that he'd never actually seen his true Lady in the flesh, only having contacted Her through the barrier of time. When Time Compression had finally rolled around, She had discarded him, and while Seifer and the others had the purpose of getting to Her so they could finally finish Her off, he had still been reeling mentally from the pain of rejection and had remained alone until Seifer had found him.

But what he did know, and what he'd seen and read about Edea and Adel, had been more than enough to make a point. While they were at the Orphanage, Matron had always been casting mild healing spell on any small ouches any of the children picked up, and when you had six rowdy kids in one structure, four of them boys and two of those being Seifer and himself, that had added up to be quite a number of small, normally insignificant injuries, which had always been healed with a kiss and a whispered spell, unless of course Matron had been in one of her rare tempers and refused to heal a wound in order to (try at least to) make them sufficiently sorry with pain that they wouldn't hurt themselves quite that way again.

But when he compared it to Sorceress Edea, the Sorceress ruling Galbadia had rarely used Her magic at all. Sure, She had nearly killed Seifer on the Parade float with Ice, and had cut their duel there short with a Wind spell, but for the most part had been… how could he put it…stingy with Her magic, refusing to use it unless She wanted to take care of something, or someone, personally. That was how She had managed to power all those ferocious spells when Seifer and the others had cornered Her after Galbadia Garden's failed assault. From what Squall had read, Adel had been the same way, conserving Her magic unless She wanted to make a particular example out of some rebel or malcontent who had threatened to derail Her dreams of Empire.

Squall had heard of the numerous traps that had awaited the SeeDs in Ultimecia's lair, but he doubted that the protective spells had been cast shortly before Time Compression happened. It was truly impossible to say just how long Ultimecia had crouched in her castle, surrounded by her guardian GF's and ability-canceling spells, years at least, Squall was certain. Add that to the fact that the Time machine was mechanical, not magical in nature…well, the conclusion was really obvious if you just knew where to look.

The upshot of Squall's entire argument; was, really, that unless a sorceress used her power consistently, and often, it gathered and started t corrupt the wielder. That's why there were far more tales of evil sorceresses than kind ones like Matron had been. Not to mention, Squall didn't think it was a coincidence that Edea was only able to throw off Ultimecia's influence long enough to give up her magic, was after draining the majority of her power in the fight with Seifer and the others, or that Fujin only started to show signs of that influence after being in a virtual coma for over two months. Thus, if Fujin began to use that magic for nearly everything, than that could be only to the good.

Seifer had disputed a minor point he'd made somewhere in the middle of that mess, and they were off, each one of them trying to convert the other to their point of view. The only reason they'd stopped was because the Cafeteria people had finally kicked them out, saying that they had to get the room ready for breakfast. Squall had doubted it, given that it was barely 3 in the morning, but had taken note of the hour and called off the discussion, ignoring Seifer's obligatory groans and complaints with the ease of long practice.

Which brought him to now. He was starting to enjoy these 'chance' encounters far too much, even to the point of anticipating them and growing disappointed when Seifer missed their lunchtime talk due to a meeting with a prospective client that had run on too long. It was stupid; Squall knew that. Stupid to care about Seifer's unexpected absence, stupid to make something once annoying into one of the highlights of his day, stupid to be resentful for something Seifer had had no control over, and even less influence on if the blond wanted to keep these little talks quiet. He knew all that, but for some reason was… reluctant to do anything to jeopardize them, even when it might be the best thing for the both of them to cease.

As it was, it was a miracle that Garden's corridors weren't already ablaze with gossip about what the two of them might be doing together, certainly enough people had seen them together, heads together, as they debated some pointless topic between them, Seifer's hands flying everywhere as he tried to make his point, that all of Garden should be aware and curious about what they were up to.

Biting his lip thoughtfully, Squall glanced over the Quad without really seeing any of the extensive grounds, mind racing over possibilities. He could skip a meal, or two, here and there, and avoid Seifer's company that way. Dr. Kadowaki might get cross with him if he did, but he might be able to withstand that better than what he feared might be happening between himself and Seifer in the Cafeteria if they continued meeting as they had been without interruption. A sudden vision of what had occurred between the two of them in the Training Center the last time they'd sparred rose in his mind, causing him to reflexively flinch and shake his head, dispelling the image, color rising hotly in his cheeks.

Now wasn't the time to think of that. And definitely not the time to think about the traitorous dreams he'd had since, nor to mention the creeping desire that popped up at odd times to repeat that action, again and again (even to himself), nor to recall (with his cursed near-perfect memory) just how good it had felt. Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable, and not just because he still didn't know what to do with those feelings, or even if they were a good thing, or not.

Well, whatever happened, he'd have to make a decision sooner or later. While it might be far too easy to assume that the easy camaraderie he and Seifer currently enjoyed would last, Squall was far too much the veteran of things going wrong with other people to trust blindly, no matter how pigheaded Seifer might be. Sometimes it was better to cut ties oneself, rather than having them cut by someone else. Ellone, Edea, Ultimecia, Matron, Garden, Seifer…all of them had walked away from him at one time or another, but only one of them had put any effort into repairing that breach.

Unless he ended it on his own terms, that bond to Seifer would be a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall and kill him with the backlash at any time. He didn't think he could survive another abandonment, not coming so close to so many other drastic changes in his life. For a moment, as if to protest his train of thought, he thought he heard Dr. Kadowaki's voice in his head again, telling him that it was alright to care, that to care about someone didn't automatically mean that he would be hurt. He pushed those words aside. He couldn't take that risk. He didn't dare.

Or could he?

//\\

Well, things are moving along nicely, aren't they? This chapter was giving me fits earlier in the week, when nearly half of what I'd completed to that point abruptly decided that in belonged in the next chapter, rather than this one, completely disarranging my sense of how the chapter flowed together, not to mention my chapter outline that I keep to make sure all the threads in this story straight, well, as much as I can. I think I have it now, expect 3 maybe 4 more chapters before this story is done, and this time I mean it. I know I've said that before, but this time I believe I have the final arc of the story settled and things are starting to fall into place. I hope so at least. Seifer and Squall's troubles aren't over, not by a long shot, and this final foe is much more insidious and harder to fight than even a time-traveling sorceress.

And just for clarification, in Squall's mind, Edea and Matron are not the same person, not completely. For him, Edea is the Sorceress, erstwhile ruler of Galbadia, who surrendered and passed her power to Fujin following the attack by Galbadia Garden. Matron is the woman who raised him, who looked after him after Ellone left him. He knows that they're the same person, but he accords them different labels in his mind to keep his feelings for one from influencing his opinions of the other, which are truly complicated enough already.

Well, now that your suspense levels are up…(evil cackle) I'll leave you to wondering. Don't forget to review or I'll be sad and your next update will be delayed because of it!


	17. Chapter 17

Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD

Chapter 17

//\\

There had been no warning. He'd just been coming from a long session in the Training Center (one thing he liked about the holographic monsters compared to real ones, was that after several hours of slaughtering them, his clothes didn't creak with gore) when he'd been suddenly ambushed by the new Disciplinary Committee. He'd been just about to ask why, when one of them read out the accusation, one that took his breath away at the sheer audacity and level of the crime.

"Squall Leonhart, you are hereby accused of selling Garden secrets to persons outside of Balamb Garden. Under Garden regulation 246, section 12, paragraph 4, your SeeD status is hereby revoked for the duration of the investigation to follow, and you will surrender your weapon and weapon harness to us immediately. Failure to comply will result in permanent loss of status, even in the event you are found innocent. Do you understand the words I am speaking to you?"

No, he _didn't_ understand. The accusation was ridiculous. Unless someone counted his actions during the War as selling Garden secrets to outsiders, but that had been nearly a full year ago, and it made no sense to wait that long before acting on a charge of that magnitude. After the War, there had been his probation to consider, and after that, the kidnapping fiasco. Dr. Kadowaki had only cleared him for active duty a few months ago. He'd had no contact with clients at all since the War, nor had he been assigned any missions that would take him outside Garden in all that time. The only thought that managed to penetrate the fog of confusion that permeated his mind, was that he was being framed for something. It was the only explanation.

But he also knew better than to argue at a time like this. Not when defiance might be the only reason they might be able to get the charge to stick. Reluctantly, he unbuckled his gunblade holster from around his thigh, handing it and Lionheart over, regretting the action almost immediately. He felt naked with out the reassuring weight on his leg, without the distinctive hilt within easy reach. Even during his probation he'd been allowed to keep the holster on his person, which had reassured him that eventually he would get his blade back, however long the probation lasted. Now it was gone, and he had no idea when, or if, he would get it back.

He put up with the through search of his person the Disciplinary Committee commenced, deliberately not reacting as the small knife he kept for emergencies, more of a throwing dagger than anything else, was found and confiscated from its hiding place in his boot, nor when the searching hands brushed way to close to his groin for any sort of comfort, merely gritting his teeth in disgust when more than one hand gave that area a deliberate squeeze, though he let none of it show on his face.

He was _not_ going to give them the satisfaction of making him react. He was an expert in shutting down his emotions, his sense of shame, as long as it got the job done. He wasn't Seifer, who would have been throwing a huge fit at the indignity of being searched so thoroughly and in such a humiliating way in a public corridor, with what felt like a full half of Garden's population looking on. He would take it, and take the undignified treatment in such a way that Garden's legion of gossips would carry the tale throughout Garden, until word of this eventually reached Seifer's ear.

As he was led away to the cells, he was forced to admit to himself that he was actually hoping for the blond to intervene, for Seifer to do _something_ that would get him out of this, even though he knew what Seifer could actually do was minimal at best. Not only was the Disciplinary Committee largely autonomous from the Garden command structure, and thus outside the majority of Seifer's direct authority, but the sheer nature of the crime meant that those investigating had to double and triple check all available data, keeping track of his every movement likely since Time Compression.

And no matter what Seifer said, in his favor or not, Squall's habit of disappearing from common view to brood or think things through would make it hard to ascertain his innocence. Even if the entire Garden was willing to say, under oath, that he couldn't have passed secrets to Garden outsiders (which he supremely doubted), if whoever was investigating couldn't clear him completely, then his career as a SeeD would be ruined, and he would be forced to leave Garden, the only place he had ever felt at home. If he had to leave, it would be almost the same as handing him a death sentence. What with the number of powerful enemies he had, he'd be lucky to last a week before someone with a grudge found him, and executed him as publicly and painfully as possible in revenge for the War.

He shook his head as a stray thought struck him. If they were accusing him of selling Garden secrets, what secrets could they mean? And where would he have gained them? The archives? His former status as a Sorceress knight meant that most of his studies since he'd regained the full use of the library, had been about Sorceresses and how their power behaved, given that he'd been trying to find some answers to just why Ultimecia had taken him for Her knight, most of which was in Esthar's public database that had been opened to the public after the formerly private country had reopened its borders after the Lunar Cry disaster. Seifer sure hadn't casually shared classified information with him during their talks in the Cafeteria; the idiot had more sense than that. Not to mention, even if he had wanted to, who would _want_ to buy information from him of all people, as the kidnapping incident with General Caraway should demonstrate. If they wanted to kill him, and he'd heard rumors of at least 3 different attempts by various countries convince Seifer to turn him over to face their justice for his crimes (read: kill him), then they hardly would want to do business with him, now would they?

Not, he thought darkly, unless they intended to bring the transaction to light, after, of course, they had milked all the secrets he knew from his head.

Sighing softly to himself as he was slammed none to gently into a cell, he tried to stop himself from trying to speculate on exactly what secrets were being brought into question, and who he was supposed to have sold them to, or for how much. He'd learn that soon enough when the interrogation began, if only through hints dropped by what questions were asked. He had to save his strength for it, because considering whom he was, not to mention _where_ he was, he was certain it would not be gentle in the least. Lying down on the threadbare cot provided, he had the brief thought that Dr. Kadowaki would _not_ be pleased in the least if he needed her attention again, after finally recovering completely from his previous bout of torture.

With that, he slid into a light doze. There would be no point in winding himself into a mess of nerves for something he hadn't done, not when torture was more likely a possibility than not. Whatever came, he could deal with it, at least, he hoped that would be the case. There was no information he had to give, not to mention that he had real field experience in enduring torture, something that he suspected those who would be working on him lacked. After his experience in the former D-District prison, he doubted that anything amature interrogators could dish out would be enough to make him break. Add that to the fact that he knew himself to be innocent… well there was only one conclusion they could reach.

Or was there? With that uneasy thought, he settled down into a restless sleep.

//\\

"This is _ridiculous_, there is _no way_ that _Squall Leonhart_ of all people, could be selling Garden secrets to outsiders!" Seifer ranted as he paced up and down in his office, the one place he could be assured absolute privacy, his arms flailing as he vented his agitation. He was so caught up in his fury that he almost didn't notice Fujin and Raijin exchange wry glances. He did catch it though, and wasn't happy in the least about it.

"Don't tell me." He snarled at his posse, hands on hips, fingers inches from Hyperion's hilt, "You _believe_ this, this…_travesty_, don't you?"

"INCORRECT." Fujin stated flatly. "CHARGE INVALID."

"You know us better than that Seifer, ya know?" Raijin entreated, clearly uncomfortable with his boss snapping at him. Instantly Seifer felt guilty, but not nearly guilty enough to drown the fury still boiling inside himself, bereft of a clear target.

Balling his hands into tight fists and turning his back to them, he ground out, "What can we do to help?" Ignoring the startled looks he could feel on his back, he explained, feeling (briefly) like he was talking to a pair of simpletons, who needed prodding to see something completely obvious. "We all know Squall didn't do it, so what can we do to help his case?" he turned to face them, one blond brow raised in a silent demand.

His posse knew well what that look meant. Both were silent for long minutes, thinking carefully. "RAIJIN, INVESTEGATE." Fujin finally announced, laying down the idea like it would happen, if only because she said so. Seifer raised the other brow, puzzled at her meaning.

"I'm no longer head of the Disciplinary Committee, deciding who runs the investigation is no longer in my complete control," he pointed out, not because he disapproved of her suggestion, but because he knew he'd encounter opposition if he did so.

"RAIJIN, EXPERIENCE. SEIFER, COMMANDER. APPOINT." A brief pause, then, "INSIST. PULL RANK."

Seifer was liking Fujin's suggestion more than ever. It was rare for her to push him to simply pull rank in the advent of a problem, and he did have _some_ authority over the Disciplinary Committee, if only because his own rank was higher than an Instructor's, which was the equivalent SeeD rank the Disciplinary Committee's member's held. In fact, with the absence of Cid, his was the highest rank in all of Garden, so technically at least, what he said, went. It was only surprising to have Fujin suggest that solution, given that 9 times out of 10, she had slapped him down every time he had attempted to use rank to get his way since he had become Commander during the War.

Then another thought occurred to him. "Even if I do pull rank, how do I get the appointment to stick? It's well known that Raijin's a knight, just as Squall was. He'd be out on his ass so fast he'd get whiplash."

Raijin spoke up. "Uh, Seifer? Could you not talk about me as if I'm not right here, ya know?" Seifer winced inwardly at the reminder, turning to face the last member of his posse. The quarterstaff user was looking thoughtful, the way he did when he was looking at a pattern no one else could see.

Raijin continued. "Ya know? I think I see Fuu's point. See, the way you have to spin it…" and he was off, laying out surprisingly detailed (to those who only saw his big and dumb exterior perhaps) plans and strategies that no one would ever see coming, plans such as the ones that had caught more than one ring of cadets smuggling illegal weapons and substances into Garden with their preverbal and literal pants down on more than one occasion. As he listened, Seifer felt a feral smile stretch his lips, teeth showing in a hungry grin.

Raijin's plans and reasoning were as follows. Seifer would appoint him as the investigator because it was well known that Seifer trusted him implicitly, and because it was known that he was a slow steady worker who could be guaranteed to find the truth in any matter set before him. It would stand because crimes of this magnitude were always investigated outside the normal channels of the Disciplinary Committee, a little known bit of Garden protocol that was enacted only in dire emergencies. Not even during the War had there been cause enough to enact it. The fact that Seifer would choose to enact it now, would be a sign that he was taking the accusation seriously, and taken as proof for those behind the accusation, that he believed it, if only a little bit.

Once he was appointed, Raijin would be in a position where he would have access to the resources to find out the truth of the accusation (not that there would be any to find, as he'd hastily assured Seifer) and to find out who exactly was behind it.

When Raijin finished, Seifer nodded his head in approval of the plan. It was risky to be sure, once appointed Raijin would have to tread carefully not only to avoid the impression of giving only a token investigation (which it would be in truth) before delivering the verdict Seifer wanted, but to keep any hint of sympathy he may have felt for Squall as a fellow knight, under the radar. It couldn't be any other way, not with the way they would push Raijin's candidacy as only a Sorceress knight could properly get to the bottom of another, if former, knight's actions.

It would also mean, that for the duration of the investigation, Raijin would be cut off almost entirely from Seifer's side, something he'd been loath to accept for more than short periods of time since the War. And while it had been Fujin not Raijin who had been cut off from him in one way or another for those few harrowing times during the War, the thought of not being able to at least contact a member of his posse at any time sat ill with him, and especially not since they didn't know just how long the investigation would take.

But it had to be done. With any luck, it would be taken as a measure of his determination to find the truth of the matter by Garden at large, and as a measure of how taken in he was by the deception by its instigators. There was no other choice: this had to work. It simply had to.

/\

It was very late when Seifer made his way down to Squall's cell. He didn't turn on the lights as he entered the restricted area, he'd been down here more times than he could count during his Disciplinary Committee days, and knew the way by heart, blindfolded, with a Confuse spell muddling his brain. Thus, it was a simple matter to find Squall's cell, it was the only one that was occupied.

For a long moment, Seifer wondered why in all of Ifrit's hells he was here. If word of this got out, it could jeopardize _everything_, Raijin's investigation, the part he had to play to get to the bottom of this, even, if the plot went high enough, his rank at Garden. And yet…

And yet, here he was, in the dark hours of the night, sneaking around to… what? He wasn't entirely sure _why_ he was here, knowing only that he had to do it for some reason beyond his comprehension. It was almost enough to drive him away in disgust, but just as he turned to leave he noticed Squall's eyes were watching him, twilight pools looking nearly black in the gloom.

Caught, he straightened; acting for all the world like his pulse hadn't suddenly started inexplicably pounding at the sight of those dark, dark blue eyes. Acting like he meant to be where he was, as if he hadn't been just caught lurking in Garden's bowels in the dead of night. Even deep in shadow, he thought he saw the brunet's face twitch. Apparently his acting skills needed some real work, though it could just be that Squall had a sixth sense the way that Fujin did, when it came to his skills at deception. Then his jaw clenched in renewed anger: the brunet's visible skin, including his face, were covered in bruises, and Seifer had no doubt that Squall's clothing hid more such injuries.

"You look like shit, Leonhart." He spoke bluntly, his words the absolute truth, and designed to cover his embarrassment and growing rage at the sight before him. Squall _did_ indeed look like hell. It looked as if Garden's Interrogation class had just used the brunet for target practice, though Seifer hoped the actual damage was less than it looked like, even if he knew it wasn't likely. Looking anywhere but at the battered brunet, he tried to ignore the cold rage clawing at his insides, bereft of a target. He _hated_ feeling helpless, of arriving after the damage had happened, too late to prevent it from occurring or to take revenge for it. From the look of Squall's bruises, they were several hours old at least, and there was nothing to be done.

Squall's lips twitched at Seifer's tight expression. "Nothing that serious. A few heavy healing spells, and it will be mostly healed. It looks worse than it actually feels." Despite the brunet's words, Seifer could see the level of the injuries from the way Squall struggled to sit up. Nonchalant words aside, they were bad. Dr. Kadowaki should have taken a look at him, just to be sure that nothing vital had been damaged. Almost before he could stop himself, the pale green light of a Cure spell flowed out of him and surrounded Squall, glowing briefly before sinking into the brunet's skin. Squall glared acidly at Seifer, though the blond could see he was moving better after the spell did its work. He noticed to that the usual strength of Squall's usual glare was slightly tempered in wordless thanks.

"What in Shiva's name was _tha_t for?" the brunet hissed at Seifer, all gratitude aside. "And why are you even _down_ here, talking with me like we're in the Cafeteria, you _should_ be avoiding me like I have the _plague_ given what I've been charged with-"

Seifer cut him off. "Did you do it?" he asked seriously, all trace of his usual humor gone, his voice and face cold. "If you didn't do it, I'll do everything in my power to get you off and to find and punish the ones responsible. If you did…" his voice trailed off meaningfully.

Squall glared at Seifer like he'd lost his mind. "Did you have a cup of stupid in your morning coffee?" the brunet demanded acidly. Seifer didn't speak, only stared fixedly at Squall until the brunet sighed and looked away.

"No," the former knight admitted slowly, "I still don't even know what secrets I supposedly stole, or whom I supposedly sold them to." He gestured eloquently at his colorful bruising, the marks so dark they were nearly black in several places. "The ones who did this, didn't stick around long enough to even hint, not t mention that they hardly even gave me the chance to even answer their questions between blows.

"For that matter" the brunet burst out, "The last time I had contact of any kind with someone outside Garden, he seemed more interested in killing me slowly than picking my brain for the latest codes, which I didn't even have at the time!" Seifer scowled at the indirect mention of the kidnapping fiasco, he hated to even think about those days. If

Raijin could prove that that was the last time Squall had come into contact with someone outside Garden, his case that the brunet was innocent would be allot stronger than it was. Maybe the long-term stratagest of his posse could put his efforts into tracking the movements of Garden's visitors, and maybe Squall's computer records as well, they could prove that there was no way for information from Squall to reach outside scources.

Seifer frowned at this information that the interrogators working on Squall were being so hasty to bloody and brutalize the ex-knight. Where had he heard something like this before… he knew it had come from somewhere… then it came to him. Dr. Kadowaki's report of what she'd heard from Squall upon the brunet's awakening from the coma he'd been in after the…the _kidnapping_ experience. Squall had told her that the late General Caraway had never asked him a single question, making the electrical torture into not an interrogation, but punishment, torture to revenge the general on what had happened to his country under Edea/Ultimecia's iron fist.

While not completely the same, what Squall reported now, bore too many similarities to that first torture experience the ex-knight had gone through after the War for Seifer to completely dismiss the comparison. This time they had asked questions, but just for the show of it, not giving him a chance to answer before they either struck him again, or fired yet another question at him, with the result being that it had been virtually the same, in that the primary purpose of interrogation, to gain information, being nearly completely forgotten.

Unsure of what else to do, he nodded decisively to Squall, then fled. As he climbed the stares out of the cellblock, he ran the information he had over in his head. He'd already announced Raijin's appointment to Garden, citing the authority both Fujin and Raijin and pointed out for him. While Garden had accepted it, it was clear that they had several reservations with the appointment, which meant that he had to be very, very careful if he wanted to pass any information to the brawny member of his posse without anyone accusing him of trying to unduly influence the result of said investigation. But that didn't mean he was stymied in how to pass on the information. It just meant that he'd have to be more devious than usual...

It was strange, but he couldn't find himself enjoying the opportunity to indulge the more wicked side of his personality, that part of himself that had once been indulging in various kinds of plots and devious plans at least once a month, at least, before the War, and his strange attraction to Squall.

He shook his head. It was _stupid_, but he had no idea of exactly _what_ had changed since then, or even if he regretted the change or not. One thing he _did_ know for certain. Squall Leonhart was worthy of his trust, had proved his worth to Seifer a thousand times over, even before the War. What he'd seen of his former rival after the War, had impressed him even more than what he'd known of the brunet when they had simply been cadets fighting constantly with fists, words and blades whenever they'd encountered each other. Squall had saved him from being Ultimecia's knight back in the Timber broadcast station, by taking that burden onto his own shoulders. Trusting Squall was the least Seifer could do to make up for that. At least, that's what he told himself.

//\\

It was subtle, Raijin acknowledged as he carefully went over the documentation supposedly supporting the accusation that Squall Leonhart had been discovered selling Garden secrets, so subtle that no one could prove with any degree of certainty that the charges were false, except for the fact that Leonhart avoided clients when they came to Garden like the plague that was, and vice versa. So subtle that they could almost be accepted as fact by even an experienced investigator. But not subtle enough for Raijin's eye.

Though most of Garden considered him to be merely the dumb muscle of the posse (something that was truly ridiculous, Seifer wouldn't be able to tolerate such a follower for more than 2 hours before attempting to disembowel the idiot out of sheer irritation), and while he might not have Fujin's razor sharp mind or Seifer's tactical genius, Raijin was smart. Smart enough to see patterns in the data, patterns that might be exploited enough to reveal their authorship, patterns that most people wouldn't see, because they were hidden in plain sight.

Like seeing that this incident wasn't the first such example of ill-feeling against the former knight. Even Seifer knew it, even if the majority of the pattern was hidden from the blond's eyes. The extremely harsh probation had been the first clue, even if Raijin hadn't recognized it as such at the time. Following that, someone would have had to helped the late General Caraway locate Leonhart in Garden's maze of corridors, not to mention supply him with Sleep spells to keep the brunet subdued. Given that the General had never Junctioned in his life (something that was well known from is service record), there was no way he would have been able to acquire the appropriate spells, someone in Garden would have had to collect them for the General, and passed them on to him, or to an aide for use.

And smart enough to see other things too, even if he wasn't supposed to see it. If Seifer wanted to keep his new relationship with Leonhart quiet, Raijin thought of his boss with a touch of asperity, he should stop sneaking of to the cafeteria or the Training Center at odd hours of the day or night, or at least stop silently mooning about the brunet ex-knight whenever he had a few minutes free of paperwork. To be fair, the only two people who had uninterrupted access to Seifer's office and were thus able to catch him mooning about like a lovesick girl were himself and Fujin, everyone else had to make an appointment with Fujin, and thus gave advance warning of their approach no matter if they wanted to or not.

Personally, Raijin had no problem with Seifer spending more time with the brunet, not when he understood Squall a little more than before, at least since the end of the War, and Fujin selecting him as her knight. Things had changed for him in that instant, the true extent of which he was still unaware. While he had harbored feelings for Fuu before and during the War (he still hated to think about the time when they hadn't known if she were dead or alive after Garden narrowly escaped the missile attack, or about the time she had spent over two whole months in a coma) but they had become, if that were possible, even more intense than usual.

After he had become a knight, the slightest _possibility_ of disobeying Fujin had nearly evaporated from his mind the instant she had taken him into the fold of her power. Raijin knew better than most that it was ridiculous in the _extreme_ to blame Leonhart for _anything_ that had happened during the War; if what the brunet had experienced was anything like what he felt now, then _any_ possibility of disobeying Ultimecia had been further from the ex-knight's mind than the stars. And given how controlling Ultimecia had appeared to him, even from the fringes of the fights against Her that he'd experienced, he suspected that Leonhart's compulsion of obedience had been at least 10 times stronger than his own devotion to Fujin was.

But, back to the pattern that was slowly starting to emerge around the ex-knight. For the most part, so long as Leonhart had been under probation, prohibited from carrying his gunblade in the corridors and restricted in his information access, it had been barely there, nothing more than unfriendly eyes in the Cafeteria, or an unkind whisper in the corridors. Easily brushed aside. Then had come the kidnapping, and Seifer's grand speech that Leonhart deserved to come back to Garden, and that he'd been mostly blameless for any actions during the Sorceress War. At the time, Raijin had cheered the speech, but now he suspected that it hadn't done that much good. That all it had done, in the end, was force those who resented the brunet's presence in Garden underground, making them harder to identify and deal with appropriately while they plotted their next gambit.

Raijin had to admire the planning that had gone into this, no matter how much he deplored the result. The charge, was one virtually guaranteed to turn away any allies the former knight might have been able to gather. By isolating him like they had, any and all support Leonhart had managed to gather through all of Seifer's efforts and of the few others who had supported the ex-knight on his return to Garden (Selphie Tillmit was one name that came to mind) during the year since the War, had evaporated as if it had never been.

For a moment, the scenario of what would happen if Leonhart's innocence was _not_ proved to the entire Garden beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt. Even if Seifer proclaimed the ex-knight's innocence, resentment would build against the brunet, eventually moving beyond hurtful gossip and stares in the corridors, to random acts of sabotage or outright violence. From what Raijin had seen of Leonhart's encounters with Seifer, the brunet would ignore words, and would keep his reaction to any vandalism to his property to himself, but if some idiot physically attacked him, and they would in time, Leonhart would fight back. And if someone was stupid enough to jump him, they wouldn't back off without at least blood, or if they were fairly good and extremely stupid, a death. And not even Seifer could protect Leonhart from the outcry that would ensure then.

Not that Seifer wouldn't try; Raijin knew well how stubborn his boss could be at times when he'd dug his heels in something. Just look at what happened during the War? Half the reason they'd survived was because Seifer had refused to give up hope; had refused to accept a situation that had become hopeless.

The quarterstaff user remembered a particular scene that had happened during the siege of Galbadia Garden. Raijin had been helping a group of cadets on one balcony, when he'd heard another wave of Galbadian troops moving in. His tiny force nearly overwhelmed as it was, Raijin had watched helplessly as the new wave moved in, only for Seifer to appear, spitting curses, Hyperion flashing like a signal flare as he waded into the fray. Though Raijin would have said at the time that the addition of one more fighter wouldn't have made that much of a difference, it had, and not only had they defeated with ease that batch of troops, they'd been able to handle the next as well, even after Seifer had moved on. It was only due to Seifer's stubborn will, that no Galbadian Soldier had breached Garden's lines that day, even with the large gaps in some of the defenders skill levels compared to their attackers.

Seifer would treat the emerging situation the same way he'd done that incident on the balcony, plunging in with no thought to the consequences, never once even considering that he was fighting a loosing battle.

If Seifer got involved, things would start to fall apart, Garden discipline and protocol falling apart as the inhabitances of Garden took sides. By the time blood was first shed, it would have been far too late to do anything to stop the slow disintegration of everything Garden stood for. Not even Leonhart's death would have been able to stop it.

He owed both Seifer and Leonhart better than that. And he owed it to Garden, to the facility that had taken him in after his village had been wiped out by soldiers when he'd been six, the only reason he hadn't died with his family because a SeeD returning to Garden from a mission had found and taken pity on him, protecting him from the soldiers and sponsored his cadet application to Garden. Two years later the SeeD was dead, killed in a stupid accident in the Training Center, but by then, Raijin's path was set. Not long after, a blond cadet a year younger than him had helped him out of a similar spot that had taken his mentor, and Raijin's loyalty was sold for all time. And even now, with his focus tuned more to Fujin than anyone else, and he _knew_ that Seifer could see and was hurt by it (though the blond would never show or speak of it) he owed the blond far too much to let him mess this up prematurely.

And he owed Leonhart, as a fellow Sorceress knight to make things as easier for the brunet as possible. He _knew_ just how heavy the burden of his service to Fujin laid on him, _knew_ just how much it cost, and knew, _knew_ that as heavy as his own burden was, Leonhart's had been so much worse that there was almost no comparison. As Sorceresses went, Fujin was positively mild-mannered, compared to Adel and Ultimecia at least. In empathy for what the ex-knight had gone through, he would see this through.

Turning away from his thoughts, Raijin studied the various reports in front of him, trying again to make sense of them. There was something there, he could almost taste it, but the exact nature of what he was up against still eluded him. What was he missing…?

Something hit his mind like a jolt, making him sit bolt upright in his chair. The kidnapping episode hadn't triggered this new wave of subtle hostility; it had been an interruption in it. Before it, Leonhart had been nearly crippled by the punishing probation, hamstrung in such a way that it had almost been guaranteed that he would try and resist, resist, and be punished severely. The training that went into a SeeD went deep; the deliberate paranoia bred so deeply into them until cadets and SeeDs regarded their weapons as part of their bodies, and would fight surrendering them with everything in them. But Leonhart hadn't fought, coping with the restriction by spending nearly all his waking hours in the Training Center, the one place in Garden where he was still allowed the use of his gunblade. While it had continued, those behind it must have held their breaths, waiting for him to mess up, contenting themselves with the knowledge of how vulnerable, his current status had made the former knight.

The kidnapping was the natural progression from the probation, Raijin now saw. Now that he did see it, he kicked himself thoroughly for not seeing it in time to prevent it, for all that it was over six months ago. Ultimecia had scorched a broad swath in her search for Ellone, and had ruined many formerly prosperous nations. It had only been a matter of time before someone came to Garden with a prospective contract had felt the urge to take some revenge on the one who had carried out Her orders. Raijin saw now that it was nearly a miracle that it had taken as long as it had before it had actually taken place.

The kidnapping, the accusation and subsequent imprisonment, and the probation were all starting to add up to a picture that Raijin didn't like. It was starting to look as if there had been, and still was, a conspiracy to make, at the very least, Squall Leonhart feel unwelcome at Garden, and at worst, to either drive him away or kill him outright. And given that there was no way to be absolutely sure who was behind all of it, it looked as if they would get away with it. And without that information, there didn't look like there was all that much he could do, knowing what was going on or not.

Or was there…? Nearly reflexively he shook his head in denial of the thought, but eventually slowed and stopped as the logic of it penetrated his mind. Fujin had written up the conditions of Leonhart's probation, Fujin who Raijin well knew would do _anything_ to protect Seifer. If she got it in her head that Leonhart was a threat… well, he could just imagine what measures she might put in place.

But, even still, even if Fujin had written up the harsh terms of the probation, she _had_ given her permission for Seifer to talk with Leonhart to resolve the blond's confusion over some of the events that had occurred during Time Compression, something that he might have doubted if she hadn't done it within his own hearing. Not to mention she had once allowed the brunet into Seifer's office alone, something that was a far more eloquent gesture of her trust than anything else. And she had recommended himself to this post. So, she couldn't be a part of the conspiracy, at least, he hoped not.

His instincts told him no, she wasn't a part of it, but that didn't mean that she wasn't in contact with those who were, even if she didn't know it. That meant that he would have to be very careful with what information he allowed her to see, even if even that tiny hint of deception toward his Lady caused all his knight instincts to rise up in a fury. The part of him that was a trained SeeD, and a member of the old Disciplinary Committee kept an iron grip on the part of himself that was a knight. If he carelessly told Fujin too much, and the conspiracy learned of it, his SeeD instincts warned, then they would be alerted, and go even deeper underground where not even he could find them.

Those same instincts also told him that he'd need help, people who he could trust to ask questions in a manner that wouldn't arouse suspicions and keep their mouths shut about what they'd learned. Not to mention that he'd also have to choose people who didn't resent Leonhart for being Ultimecia's knight, but weren't so much his defender that none of the people he was trying to find would spot what they were doing and clam up in their presence. Add to the fact that he couldn't tell anyone what he suspected until he was sure of their loyalty…well, that was a whole different headache that he'd have to tackle sooner or later, though not now.

Now, he started to lay out the names anyone who he could think of that might be both prejudiced against Leonhart enough, and angry at Seifer enough to be willing to defy the might of Seifer's protection, that had been granted almost immediately after Time Compression nearly a full year ago, to head the conspiracy. The list was short, but none of those on the list were fools, and all of them resented both Seifer, and Leonhart in nearly equal amounts dating to during, after, and even before the War.

The former Instructor Xu for one, she and Seifer had been old enemies, not to mention after the War she had lost her class authority, Seifer had stripped it from her because he disapproved of her methods both in the classroom and on the field, not to mention that the loss of that authority, in practice if not name, had happened on the eve of Galbadia Garden's attack, which Leonhart had led. And she wasn't known for forgiving slights like that easily.

Another was Alana Richardson the Intelligence-class SeeD who'd shown such a lack of enthusiasm for the proposed mission and who Seifer had subsequently verbally ripped to pieces in public on the eve of Garden's rescue attempt. The cell to which she had been assigned had been eliminated by Ultimecia's agents, she was the only survivor, and the only reason she had escaped was because she had been in Balamb taking reports to Garden when Ultimecia assumed power in Galbadia and instituted a purge from which Garden Intelligence was still recovering from. Add that to the fact that Seifer had verbally ripped her into pieces making a point (her own fault, Raijin knew, having witnessed the entire confrontation) there was powerful anger from that quarter, directed at the twin targets of Seifer and Leonhart. She was definitely involved in one-way or another, even if only since the kidnapping and rescue.

Vincent Tremene, onetime Gunblade Instructor, demoted back down to regular SeeD status after first Seifer, then Leonhart had blown through his classes, outstripping his own level of expertise with the difficult weapon with embarrassing ease. It hadn't helped that he'd tried to hold them back, only for that to backfire on him when Cid got word of it, stripping him of his title, and adding a mark on his file that prevented him from ever regaining it as a punishment for trying to sabotage the careers of two of the most promising cadets Garden had ever seen. It wouldn't surprise Raijin in the least to learn if he'd nursed a hatred for the two since then.

There were four other names on the list that he added just to be sure he'd included all possibilities, but he was fairly confident that those three, at least, were the ringleaders, the ones he needed to keep a watch on. It would take time, he knew to both gather proof of Leonhart's innocence, and find proof of the conspiracy's presence (hopefully by doing one, he'd find the other, but he couldn't be too cautious.

He had to start somewhere. With a slight groan (the true peril of desk duty was in the stiffness and cramps that accumulated after spending any extended length of time seated and slowed reactions in a fight) he stood. It was time to talk to Fujin, discretely of course, and find out what she knew. Once he could clear her, he could move on to his list, and how he would approach them.

//\\

things are definitely heating up, aren't they? Ah, nothing like a little bit of turmoil to make our two favorite boys come closer together. And when Raijin figures out who exactly is behind the charge, well, Seifer is going to be rather pissed, isn't he?

Writing Raijin was fun, if only because he's the only member of Seifer's posse that I haven't really explored so far. Figuring out his role was cool, mostly because it really gave me a chance to really think about it. He has to be more than just dumb muscle, or Seifer wouldn't keep him around. Raijin needs time to put together a strategy, or to tease out hidden information, but just because his brain doesn't work at the same speed that Seifer and Fujin's does, doesn't mean he's dumb in the least.

I know I told you last chapter that it was late because about a full half of this chapter, the entire Raijin scene belonged in this one. that's the reason why this chapter is coming out so soon. But don't believe that because this chapter came out so fast that I don't care if you review my offerings, I do!! I want and I dream of reviews, so much so that they're the first thing I look for after I post a chapter

So review and stay tuned for chapter 18!!!


	18. Chapter 18

Icicle Knight, Firey SeeD

Chapter 18

//\\

For the first time that he could honestly remember, Seifer's hands were literally and figuratively tied in regards to a situation. He could do absolutely nothing to help achieve a solution to the dilemma that currently plagued him. And he _hated_ that fact with everything in him

He'd always been much more comfortable with acting, not… _waiting_ for others to act. It was simply how he was wired. And while that trait may have made things difficult for himself at various points in the past, his multiple attempts to try and pass the final Field Exam for example, it wasn't exactly something he could help.

While he was a cadet, and finding excuses for manipulating his way around express orders to keep himself from collapsing from sheer boredom, he'd managed to find things to occupy himself, even on those rare instances when he was expressly prohibited from direct action: insult the Chicken, destroy sniper nests, investigate a suspicious interest by the designated enemy for the Exam… he could be quite creative when the situation called for it, and find unorthodox methods for getting out of trouble when consequences for his action loomed. But now…

But now, the consequences for personal action were far greater than simply failing an exam, more at stake than mere SeeD status if he got caught. His…(Hyne's fucking balls, he wasn't even sure _what_ the brunet ex-knight _was_ to him anymore), ex-rival's head would literally roll if he so much as put a toe out of line at the moment. Hyne's tiny fucking balls and Ifrit's left nut, he _hated_ that fact with everything in him.

He _knew_, even before Fujin and Raijin had told him so, that he could do more to help Squall by publicly doing nothing. By pretending that the sole person outside his posse in Garden was locked up and being beaten daily like he mattered less than dung on a boot. That meant no speeches, no protestations of the former knight's innocence, doing nothing to influence Garden's public opinion in anyway. Every avenue that his instincts screamed that he use to help his former rival in this matter was blocked off, and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do to change that, no matter how much he hated that fact.

He couldn't even order the gossip in the corridors to cease, given that he knew far too well that trying to shut down the flow would only inflame the whispers of speculation not tramp them down, given that every cadet and SeeD who should have known better would be trying to guess why he'd authorized such an action that any moves in that direction would backfire on himself so magnificently that he'd be still seeing afterimages when Squall was taken out to be executed. He himself had taken advantage of that particular recourse in the past, so he was not inclined to underestimate the amount of information or power carried by those channels.

Squall respected the power of the Garden grapevine as well, which was why he kept urging Seifer to avoid associating with him in anyway, not that Seifer had any intention of obeying Squall's words in the least. He needed the midnight visits, just as he was sure the brunet did, even if Squall did seem to be inclined to be stubborn and give off every impression that he was only waiting for the bonfire to be built around him, no matter that he just happened to be innocent. The fact that Seifer believed him when he said this, and supported him as much as he could, seemed to make little or no difference to the ex-knight. Time and again the brunet urged Seifer to break off all association with him, on the grounds that it would be better for all concerned if Seifer distanced himself as far as he could from this whole matter.

Seifer, it just so happened, did _not_ agree with that reasoning in the least. And because he disagreed with Squall's reasoning, he got Fujin to give him access to the security system in the cell area again, not to mention codes to access the stored footage from the camera overlooking Squall's cell, gathering all the information he could on those who periodically entered the ex-knight's cell to "interrogate" the brunet into confessing to the charges against him so they had an excuse to exile him from Garden, or even execute him.

Sometimes, Seifer thought, those nightly talks were the only reason he held it together during the long months it took for Raijin to find those behind Squall's accusation, that, and the knowledge that Raijin would leave no figurative stone unturned in his hunt for information, that if he was taking a while, then it was because the quarterstaff user was making sure he had _everybody_ involved, no matter how insignificant a part they may have played. Seifer wanted them _all_, and Raijin _would_ give his leader what he wanted, even if it killed him. He could expect no less from Raijin. The dark-haired member of his posse had never let him down yet, and obviously didn't intend to start now.

Just as Seifer didn't intend to start doubting his posse, not after all they'd been through together, even before the War. Raijin had earned Seifer's faith in the muscle-bound brunet's abilities several times over. Vividly, Seifer recalled the first instance Raijin's unique mind had come through for him, even though it had happened nearly four years ago.

A strength-enhancing drug called Strysol had begun appearing in Garden from no apparent source. While drugs of that sort were banned in Garden for a number of reasons, Strysol had been worse than usual given that the enhanced abilities only lasted for a short time, and the stuff was horribly addictive. The Disciplinary Committee had hit a dead end on every lead they'd had when Raijin had requested a free hand in putting the data together. Skeptical, but unwilling to admit defeat, Seifer had agreed. Two weeks later Raijin had not only found the supplier, but had managed to piece together exactly how the drugs were entering and dispersing around Garden. Two swift raids later, they were up before the Old Fart, getting a commendation for getting to the bottom of the drug ring.

The same thing happened again and again during their 3 years as the Disciplinary Committee, but the only part of the process Seifer hated was the fact that while the data was being collected, he had no idea what was going on. Raijin might employ spies to get him the facts he required, but required complete solitude while compiling the data, citing the need for no distractions whatsoever. But now…

Now the solitude wasn't merely a request, however strongly it was required; it was actively enforced to prevent even the slightest hint of doubt in the verdict. Before, Seifer could still see and talk to Raijin in the Cafeteria, or in the corridors, whenever Raijin took his meals, or simply a walk in order to process the data more efficiently. He could reassure himself that all was well with his posse. Now Raijin was closeted in his dorm room and office, having his meals delivered there and avoiding public spaces. No one knew what was going on in those rooms, Fujin had tried planting some bugs in there shortly after Raijin was assigned to the task, they were destroyed within hours and the silver-haired sorceress had never had the chance to plant any replacements.

Growling under his breath, Seifer grabbed Hyperion from where the gunblade was propped against his desk (keeping it in its holster while he was at his desk made it hard for him to draw the blade quickly sitting down) and stood, heading for the Training Center. He wasn't doing himself or Squall any good thinking in circles like this. If he couldn't come to grips with those behind his current problem, he needed to work off some energy and stress, and he knew just the way to do it. Sea-green eyes narrowed in anticipation at the thought.

He might not be able to slaughter those slandering Squall, at least, not just yet, but some holographic monsters would just have to do for a temporary substitute. Hyperion fairly singing in his hand due to his anticipation, Seifer swept out of his office, trenchcoat fluttering behind him in his wake, paying no heed to the way various cadets in his path nearly flew out of his way, his mind already fixed on blood. Monster or human blood, it made no difference to him.

//\\

Fujin stared at the paperwork Raijin had just handed her, unsure of what to make of it. When he'd questioned her two months ago, asking her pointed questions about her security staff, and who had access to her files, she had bristled at the implied criticism, but cooperated knowing that the results of his investigation were vital to Seifer's mental well-being. She hadn't asked any questions at the time, knowing from the set of Raijin's shoulders that it would be a futile endeavor.

But now, looking at the list of involved parties in the conspiracy to implicate Squall Leonhart for a crime he didn't commit, Fujin felt like she had just been viciously punched in the gut. Nearly half of the cadets she employed were on it, including some of those she had trusted enough to allow access to her working files, confidant in their loyalty to Garden, and thus, to Seifer. To realize that they had repaid that trust in this way… it was mind-boggling.

So boggling, that she had to make certain it was accurate. "SURE?" she enquired of Raijin, already knowing the answer. Raijin wouldn't have shown it to her if he hadn't been absolutely positive that he had the right names, and all of them. Still, he did her the courtesy of a response; even of that response was only a meaningful look and a sober nod.

She read over the list again, committing the names to memory. When she caught up with the ones who had caused Seifer such distress over the past few months… she blinked, caught up short by some of the names on the list. While she understood the reasoning behind some of the names, others baffled her. "HER?" she asked, pointing to one such name midway down the list.

"Started training at Trabia Garden and had several close friends who died there," Raijin explained, "transferred here for the Exam, failed, and resented Seifer getting a personal leg up to SeeD status by Cid after NORG's failed mutiny. Resentment, disappointment, and revenge all mixed up into one. Powerful combination, ya know?"

Fujin did know. She remembered the whispers that had followed her when her Sorceress status had come to public light. Seifer had been forced to issue a public statement that the reason he had yet to dismiss her from Garden was because Garden was the best place to "keep control of her and her power…". She had hated the necessity of it, and knew well that only one word in five of that statement had been true, Seifer had kept her on because he trusted her, and because he knew better than to think he could get rid of her without a titanic struggle that would no doubt level Garden on its foundations. Still, she kept out of the way of Garden's various clients, not wanting to have one abruptly cancel his contract because he remembered that she was still here.

Smoldering fury from several different directions abruptly converged at once, and erupted in a burst of magic, lightning flying through her small window, scorching the frame. Her single eye shot sparks of rage, had any of the targets of that rage caught sight of her, they would have collapsed in quivering lumps of dead flesh, dead from sheer fright. A second lightning bolt followed the first, and another, and a forth. A fifth bolt was forming when Raijin's strong hands closed over her shoulders as he stood at her back, blocking any sight of her and what her temper had done from anyone who happened to peer into her office.

The energy to create lightning faded, drained away by Raijin's comforting touch. She knew he harbored feelings for her, had known for years, but had been waiting for him to get up the nerve to tell her himself. She had to admit; he wasn't that bad a catch. Strong, steady, quicker than he looked in a fight, and the way he handled his staff was pure poetry, a mountain in motion, as she thought in her more poetic moments, which were very rare, thank you very much. And she knew that while Garden speculation had run rife those first few weeks after Time Compression that she would select Seifer as her knight, it had never really been any constant to begin with.

While she would follow Seifer to the end of the earth and beyond before she would question him, verbally anyway, some of the blond's more outlandish stunts had her questioning the merits of knowing him at times, she would be the first one to admit that Seifer wasn't the most stable of personalities. She had known and understood that about him from nearly the first time she had met the foul-mouthed blond.

What had inspired her to follow him despite that, was that those same flaws also made him into one of the most brilliant commanders and fighters she had ever seen. As any student of Garden well knew, flashes of true command were rare, very nearly rarer than the fabled Ibsedian sea-diamonds. Only one warrior in a thousand had it, others if they wanted to lead had to find some other way to inspire loyalty and enthusiasm for the bloody work of battle. They were liked, they were feared, they were good at what they did, they were hated with a passion… there were a million and one approaches to command, and some people were better at it than others.

However, there were some, the rarest of them all, who simply _were_. They employed no strategies to command, they were simply themselves, and people fell over themselves to follow them. Fujin had seen a flash of that in Seifer the first time she'd met him, and had seen more over the years she'd followed him. Ironically, she had also seen a flash of it in Squall Leonhart a time or two, but had never had the time to really follow up on that mere glimpse.

But she was getting away from herself. While Seifer might be a natural commander, those same character traits that made him ideal for command also made him less than ideal as a knight. Stubbornness, dogged perseverance, insisting on his own way, all were qualities that were great on their own, but less than stellar in the subordinate position. Which knighthood, essentially was, childhood dreams or no.

Raijin was different. While he might be a bit slower to grasp concepts than herself and Seifer, he was steady, patient, and had placed her up on a pedestal for years, worshiping her from afar. She'd known it well, ironically, the only reason Raijin hadn't yet succeeded in his quest to win her heart was that he'd never yet managed to work up the nerve to tell her how he felt. No matter how she herself thought about Raijin, she refused to allow anyone into her bed who had so little spine as to never tell her directly how he felt. It that meant going while waiting for him to get a clue, so be it. She could wait.

For now, it was enough that Raijin's presence soothed her temper, temper she abruptly realized that had become more difficult than usual to control in the past few months while Raijin had been busy investigating. Edea's advice, given to Fujin only days after Time Compression, proved its worth yet again, information that Edea had considered essential for a new Sorceress to know, so that she knew how to control her new power, rather than have her power control Her.

Only one aspect of Edea's advise had been more than a little vague at the time, and yet had been stressed by the older woman as the most important. However, Fujin was starting to uncover the meaning behind it. Edea had stressed that a knight was not a puppet the way they'd realized Leonhart's actions in the War had been. According to Edea, a knight was the center, the cornerstone of a sorceress's control. At the time, Fujin had raised her eyebrow at the cryptic saying, but had embedded it into her memory, the way she had memorized all the other bits of important information the former Sorceress had managed to tell her in the brief time available to them.

Now, she understood completely. A knight was the center, the center of the Sorceress's magic. They could exist without a Sorceress, only look at Leonhart as an example, who would carry the mark of knighthood in his magic for the rest of his days, even if the Sorceress whom he'd served had been dead for over a subjective year, and technically wasn't even born yet and wouldn't be for centuries to come.

But a Sorceress could not survive without a knight, not for long. Fujin's private thought was that Leonhart had been Ultimecia's second knight, that Her first had been somehow killed, the bond between them severed too swiftly, breaking Ultimecia's mind and throwing Her into madness. The Sorceress had hung on for as long as she could without the stabilizing presence of a knight, unaware Her sanity had been trickling away while She searched for a way to go back in Time and prevent it.

By the time She had found the answer, or had not found it, Fujin thought that She might have forgotten Her original purpose by the time She found the first references to the Time Compression spell, but had latched on to it with everything Her splintered mind had. Despite the fact that the Connection gift required to trigger the spell had long since disappeared from the world by Ultimecia's time, She had refused to let that fact stop Her. Using the time machine designed by Dr Odine (she'd forced herself to read his papers, given that he was the foremost authority on Sorceresses and their magic in the known world, no matter how much he and his notes gave her the creeps), She had come back, settling into Edea's body in order to search.

No matter that She wasn't in Her own body, or Her own time, Ultimecia's magic had still craved a knight, even though it had been far too late for one to do Her any good. According to Seifer's version of events, Ultimecia's magic had… scanned him for lack of a better word, and had decided that he would do, but had run up against unexpected resistance. While the blond was fighting Her off, along had come Leonhart, who for some reason had been less well defended against Her influence than Seifer had.

Everyone knew what had happened after that. It didn't need repeating now, just in case anyone had forgotten it. Fujin wasn't worried about that fact, the facts were readily available in Garden's Library, open to any cadet who wanted a refresher. .

One thing did about what had happened in Timber did bother her though. When she'd asked Edea about why Seifer had been (mostly at least) immune to Ultimecia's call, and Leonhart had succumbed in his place, the older woman had given her a look that had managed to combine such grief and guilt into the space of a single heartbeat that Fujin had been startled enough not to protest when Edea had changed the topic. Later of course, she'd wondered about it, but there had been no more time to question Edea, because by that point, the former sorceress had departed Garden with her husband for an extended second honeymoon.

The reason she hadn't taken Seifer for her knight, was in the end, very simple. Seifer was obsessed with Leonhart, he always had, and she knew that the blond always would be. Raijin however, was devoted to her, with all the parts of himself that weren't sworn to Seifer. And while she knew that if she tried, she could snap his last ties of loyalty to Seifer and have Raijin's devotion rest entirely on herself, but she wouldn't to do that. She couldn't do that, not when she would have to destroy her own loyalty to the blond in the process as well, and she owed him too much to allow that to happen.

Seifer needed them to watch his back, depended on them. She was not about to repay the blond for all he'd done for them both, and what they'd all gone through together (the War least among the adventures they'd had), by abandoning him now, not when he needed their support the most.

That thought recalled her mind to business. Shrugging out of Raijin's touch, she gestured at the list, lying miserably on the ground where she'd dropped it. "ARREST?" she asked, matter-of-factly.

Raijin's white teeth parted in a savage grin. "Yeah. I can't round them all up on my lonesome, ya know? I just don't have the authority or the manpower to accomplish the task myself. You know anyone who might be able to help?"

The look in Fujin's eye matched her knight's grin. "MIGHT." Bending to pick up the list, she began sectioning it off. Once that chore was complete, and the appropriate copies made along with copies of the arrest papers issued by her office, she summoned her truly trustworthy people, the ones Raijin had cleared of any involvement in the conspiracy. Those who sought to defy Seifer would soon learn the error of their ways, if she had anything to say about it. Not that they would have to remember that lesson for very long, she thought with a grim twitch of her lips. No, not for very long at all.

//\\

Seifer's fingers drummed on his desk in a seemingly absentminded pattern as he listened to the results of Raijin's investigation. Thirteen SeeDs, along with nearly thirty cadets, including his new Disciplinary Committee, watched him either anxiously, or with a solid indifference, depending on their natures, knowing without words that he was _highly_ displeased, to say the least. He gave no outward sign of his deepening mood, no sign, other than the restless fingers, of the rage that grew within him at each damming word.

Those standing before him had not only misused their SeeD training for an unsanctioned purpose, which was bad enough, even if Seifer might have been more understanding about that particular offence than Cid would have been, given the fact that he'd indulged in that particular activity on his own several times during his own cadet years. But it was their other offence, the real reason they were standing in front of him, that had him seeing red, that had him visualizing their cooling corpses decorating his office, that had his other hand clenched firmly around Hyperion's hilt.

As Raijin read out the names of the accused, Seifer met each face in turn, comparing it to his memory of the ones who had nearly half killed Squall on several occasions while "interrogating" him. It was only due to the brunet's innate stubbornness that the constant beatings hadn't killed him all the way, even with Dr Kadowaki's intervention after the more extreme beatings. All the faces he'd memorized were there, along with a few others he'd half-expected, and some he hadn't. His fingers reflexively tightened on the smooth leather wrapping on the hilt of his blade until the leather creaked, one finger tightening on the trigger guard until the metal bit deeply into his flesh.

It was with real and deep regret that he recalled that Fujin had ordered him to empty Hyperion of any and all ammunition before she and Raijin had brought the collection of prisoners into his office. He could have slaughtered half of the scum from behind his desk in an instant if Hyperion had been loaded, could have reduced them to lifeless chunks of bloody meat before he could blink. Ah, well, he consoled himself, using Hyperion's blade would be much more satisfying when it came time for them to die.

Not that there was no longer any question of whether they would die or not, not once Raijin had discovered their guilt. This was not a trial to determine guilt, not by any stretch of the imagination. This was the sentencing, to determine what punishment would be most appropriate, and Seifer had long since made up his mind. The only question that still remained; was exactly how and when they would die, and by whom. Seifer personally itched to take them all out himself, but knew he would step aside in a heartbeat if Squall wanted be the one to take a gunblade to their flesh, and carve out their lying deceitful hearts while they were still alive.

Not to mention, he was certain that Squall's various supporters wanted to get in their own vengeance against the conspirators. Not only had Dr Kadowaki approached him with a petition for several subjects for some undoubtedly fatal experiments (the good doctor had been enraged at Squall's condition the few times she had been summoned to patch the brunet up when his tormenters got carried away) but Irvine Kinneas, Selphie Tillmit, and surprise, surprise, self-righteous Quistis Trepe had also quietly approached him to formally request the blood of at least some of those behind the conspiracy. Oh, they'd never framed it in exactly those words, but the gist was there. If he claimed all their deaths for himself, they would no doubt be cross with him, and some of them could get downright creative if they thought they were being slighted.

The only reason Fujin and Raijin hadn't joined that list was because a) Raijin had been cut off from all communication channels with Seifer for the duration of this investigation, and b) because they both knew exactly how much he was taking he entire event seriously. They had known without ever needing to ask, just how much he needed to achieve his own kind of justice as a resolution to these events.

But it looked like there'd be more than enough conspirators to go around without slighting anyone. Seifer was sure that most of the executions would take the form of lethal sparring matches, with one side either barehanded or with unfamiliar weapons. Seifer was happy about that, because more than likely, if anyone outside got a whiff of what had gone on inside Garden (one of the first things Seifer had done after gaining word of the charges against Squall was to declare a media blackout for the entire Garden, placing all pending contracts on standby to ensure that no client ever got the sent that Garden was undergoing internal investigation) he could claim, without telling a lie, that the deaths were the results of training accidents, they had happened before, would happen again. The holographic controls in the Training Center would be overhauled (something that needed to be done anyway), and no one would be the wiser.

But he still had to decide how to divide up the victims. How could he choose? How would those standing before him die, he wondered, mock idly. He saw some of the cadets gulp several times and turn an ashy shade of white, no doubt reading the knowledge of their own death in his eyes, seeing the complete lack of mercy there. He really couldn't give a shit that they were scared. Fucking with Squall, meant they'd fucked with _him_, and Shiva would be _very_ comfortable in Ifrit's hells before he lost anymore sleep over this matter. All the sleepless nights he'd had, worrying over what would happen to Squall, negated any and all mercy he might have felt.

Raijin finally finished reading out the names and charges. Seifer smirked into the sudden, heavy silence, saying nothing, giving his prey plenty of time to squirm. Abruptly he leaned back in his chair, a pleasant smile suddenly plastered on his features. Several of his victims tried to take a rapid step back, only to encounter the iron barrier of Fujin's handpicked security staff keeping them in place. They remembered him from his Disciplinary Committee days, and knew what it meant when Seifer smiled that way. One of the female cadets began to silently sob, tears trickling soundlessly down her face.

"So," Seifer said softly in a too calm voice. "Do any of you have any sort of explanation for this?" most of the cadets and a few of the SeeDs in front of him flinched. Despite the instinctive move away from his obviously masked anger (they knew he never spoke so softly when he wasn't beyond enraged) none of his victims spoke, not even the ones who remained proudly defiant in the face of his complete and utter rage.

"Nothing?" he asked in a falsely surprised tone, "you have _no_ justifications for your behavior? No reason for you, all of you, to commit one of the worst crimes a SeeD can commit upon another-"

"He is _not_ one of us, he's a fucking _Sorceress knight_! He nearly _destroyed_ SeeD! Don't you _dare_ say he's one of us, because he's _not_!!!" one of the cadets burst out, interrupting Seifer's condemnation. He'd been one of the Trabian survivors, one of the thirty cadets and SeeDs who had joined Balamb Garden on the eve of Galbadia Garden's attack. Seifer hadn't been altogether surprised that three of the thirty survivors they'd picked up at the blasted Garden on the eve of Galbadia Garden's assault were among the guilty, nor was he startled to see the idiotic SeeD who had drawn the sharp edge of his tongue during Squall's rescue.

Despite his fury, he understood where the cadet was coming from, at least, somewhat. Revenge was a powerful emotion, something he knew very well, in fact, he was caught in its grip right at this moment. That didn't excuse the cadet's behavior, not by a long shot. Just because he understood it, that didn't mean that he would let the cadet off in any form. Revenge, ignorance, both were no excuse in his mind in the face of the crimes that had been committed. But it would be far too easy to simply shout him down, which he could do, make no mistake about it. What he had in mind would be much more satisfying, and would crush his prey much more thoroughly.

Despite all his determination to remain affable, at least for now, his anger still leaked through his polite mask. "How the _fuck_ is Squall Leonhart not a SeeD?" he asked, voice harder than the alloys that made up Hyperion. "First of all, he not only completed his cadet training with top honors, but he passed the Field Exam on his first try, with the highest ranking of those who passed the Exam with him. Not only that, he was awarded his SeeD status by Headmaster Cid himself." Seifer glared at the shrinking cadet, pushing the honors Squall had learned before the War in the younger boy's face.

Not only was the cadet at least two years from his first attempt at the big Field Exam, he was nowhere _near_ the top of his own class, hovering somewhere around the middle… or at least, Seifer thought that was the case. He was much too busy to memorize cadet profiles, now, or even before the War. Back then, the only profile he'd made even the effort to memorize, had been Squall's.

"Not to mention, as Sorceress Fujin and her knight can confirm, not to mention Former Sorceress Edea who was Sorceress Ultimecia's vessel for the majority of the Sorceress War _and_ one of the founders of SeeD and Garden alike, the bond of knighthood carries with it a strong power of suggestion, if not outright mind control, the direction it takes and the strength of it occurs at the whim of the Sorceress involved. Control that had been snapped by Ultimecia's death during Time Compression."

"As I shouldn't have to mention, Garden policy in the matter of mind control is clear. After the effected SeeD is freed from mental influence, he or she is placed under probation until it is confirmed that the programmed attitudes and behavior has been cleared completely from the effected mind. After that, the matter is considered closed, and the SeeD is welcomed back to his or her old clearance before the incident." Seifer finished speaking, casting a significant look at the now white as a sheet cadet, who only now apprieciated the enormity of what he'd done.

He glared at the oldest cadets and SeeDs then, particularly Xu, who had been in charge of drilling upper level cadets in the ins-and-outs of Garden protocol (not that he himself had ever had the displeasure of suffering through her classes). Only those in their first four of their seven years as a cadet could possibly be excused not knowing that information, but the all of those before him, cadets and SeeDs couldn't skate by on the excuse of ignorance. The SeeDs should have known it particularly well; given that seventh year cadets were strictly tested on their knowledge of Garden's protocols and procedures before they were allowed to take the final Field Exam.

As he gazed at them, peering into each face, he tried to guess why they would have gotten involved with something like this. Both Xu and his old gunblade Instructor (the moronic bastard) were in the lineup, they would have been involved simply for the chance to give him the bird, and damn the consequences. He remembered the face of one upper level cadet, one who had failed almost as many Exams as Seifer had, hmmm…jealousy and misplaced outrage… that would be it. She would have been sore at him about Cid giving him the jump up outside the Exam, and would have gone after Squall in some misplaced outrage over betraying some imagined melodramatic bullshit like "…everything SeeD stands for…" as if she even knew what it was.

Three others Seifer recalled as the ones that he'd been forced to repeatedly re-educate on exactly _why_ only Seifer was allowed to pick on the shy, slim, Squall Leonhart. The idiots had seemed to think that just because Seifer picked on the thin brunet, that he was fair game to anyone who wanted to mess with him. It had taken 15 different broken bones (on separate occasions, none of them his), 3 split lips, one sprained wrist, 2 sprained ankles, nearly 30 official reprimands and 20 detentions before they learned differently. The only injury Seifer had gained throughout the entire episode (they'd been as unskilled as they were thick) had been a simple black eye courtesy of his then rival, when Squall had found out that he'd been protecting the brunet.

Several other survivors from Trabia Garden were there as well, revenge at the loss of their old Garden and the friends who had died there. Not all of them he was glad to see, Seifer assumed that Tillmit had had a hand in convincing the remainder that Squall had been as much a victim as they were. The copper-haired annoyance could be convincing, as he recalled with an internal wince at the memory of some of the more intrusive instances of the yellow-dressed SeeD's whining. But in this instance at least, she had managed to convince over two thirds of her fellow survivors to leave Squall alone, and he silently thanked her for it.

He couldn't identify any of the other faces in the lineup, but he didn't need to. Running through those whose names he recognized, he found a pattern, most likely the same one Raijin had found when he assembled the list of people currently awaiting his judgment. All of the names he recognized had serious past or present grudges against both Squall and himself, or at least just one of them. It wasn't that much of a stretch to assume that the pattern held true even with the …_people_ he didn't immediately recognize.

Slightly amazed at what Raijin could come up with when given a goal, time, and a place to start looking, he stared through Xu's head as he came up with his decision. The ringleaders of the plot; would die either by his or Leonhart's hand, depending on wither or not the brunet felt up to carrying out the executions of fellow, no, _former_ SeeDs. Dr. Kadowaki could have as many of the midlevel plotters as she wanted while the ones she didn't want and the flunkies would be divided up between the others who wanted a piece of the plotters. Fujin and Raijin would even have Seifer's blessing to join in on the slaughter is they so desired.

Seifer wasn't worried about resentment over his decision. It was more than they deserved. Falsely accusing a fellow SeeD of selling Garden secrets carried as harsh a penalty, or worse, than the actual crime, a group of fighters had to stick together, and falsifying information that accused a fellow SeeD of a serious offence was held to be nearly worse than committing an offence against Garden itself. Everyone in Garden knew that they were only powerful as a unit, and anyone who sought to divide the unit, through misleading information, through physical attacks, or any other such similar behavior, was made manifestly unwelcome.

That was why Seifer had gone to such lengths to make sure that everyone in Balamb Garden knew that Squall had been mind controlled into being Ultimecia's knight, and that all actions he had done as part of that role had been as a result of that control. By placing the blame on Ultimecia, Seifer had given Garden, and SeeD, a way to look past the brunet's actions during the War, a way to show Garden that Squall had had no choice but do what he did and his crimes against Garden were due entirely to mind control.

Not to mention, if you looked closely at some of those actions the brunet had done even while under that overpowering influence, the fact that the Trabian survivors had still been alive when Balamb Garden found them and not obliterated by the hiding Galbadia Garden for one, or the way that 5 SeeDs had been loosely guarded in D-District prison and that no extra provision had been made for guarding a martial artist for another. The signs were faint, but if you knew where to look, and you knew exactly what the brunet was capable of, anyone with eyes could see very clear signs that showed that Squall hadn't completely abandoned SeeD in his heart, even if Ultimecia had screwed up his head so badly he could hardly see anything straight.

Why else had Galbadia Garden avoided the helpless refugees eking out a living in the ruins of Trabia? Why else had Fujin reported that she and the others hadn't even been bound while incarcerated at D-District? And if Squall was Her devoted servant, living only for Her will, why else had Ultimecia from time to time have punished Squall for things entirely out of his control as Edea had testified?

Everything Seifer could see pointed to Squall being an unwilling puppet caught in Ultimecia's web. There was no point in sharing that point with the trash in front of him, soon they would cease to be even a consideration beyond a smear of blood on Lionheart and Hyperion. But for the rest of Garden, they should share in the information, if, that is, they didn't already see it with their own eyes.

Standing, he whispered his decision to his posse, trusting them to handle the dispersal of prisoners to their fates. He had better things to do right now. Trash like the ones that stood before him didn't deverve the courtesy of hearing their fate from his own lips. If they were so spooked about Sorceresses and their knights, then let them hear their fates from the lips of a Sorceress and her knight. Poetic justice at its finest.

And if the idiots tried to protest their sentence (which Seifer truly doubted they would do, given that nearly everyone in Garden knew that he trusted Fujin and Raijin to speak for him on certain occasions, and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that they'd carry out his pronouncements) his posse had his permission to deal with them in any way they saw fit, short of killing them.

On his way out of his office, he stooped and gathered something off the floor where it had been leaning against a wall. Holding the gunblade holster by the straps, he left his office, letting the faint blue glow that peaked out from under the tough leather light his way down the stairs to the cells. As he walked, he quickly checked his supply of healing spells. He wanted to see Squall personally, wanted to be the one to return Lionheart to its owner, and wanted to be the one who invited Squall to walk freely through Garden's corridors once more. He wanted to be the one to heal the last bruises and broken bones from the ex-knight's relentless series of torture.

He wanted to be the one, who told Squall that he was free.

//\\

woosh, Seifer's definition of mercy for those who've wronged those he's claimed as his sure is harsh. But he's serious about not having any regrets. Now all our lovely boys have to do is sort out the backlash of these events, and decide once and for all what they mean to each other. Chapter 19 (the last chapter!!!! Woohoooo!!!!), sure won't be boring, I can promise you that.

If anyone is going to be in a position to pity Ultimecia, it would be Fujin. I don't know where that idea of Ultimecia's lost knight came from, but it makes sense to me. Tell me what you think about it, because to my thinking, something had to happen to make Her go completely bat-fuck nuts, and make her hate SeeD in the process. We know that SeeD as an orginzation survives to Her time period thanks to the Time Compression scene in the game, is it all that implausible to assume that SeeDs killed Ultimecia's first knight, thereby creating an insane and dangerously unbalanced Sorceress? She had to have had some reason to reaserch going back in time…

Thank you everyone for sticking with this story throughout this long slog, even after I myself thought the story would end much sooner. But my muses wouldn't allow me to quit and kept telling me that there was allot more story left to write, even if I couldn't see it yet.

Review to get the next chapter!!! See you then!


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